Open-ended questions do more for you than just gathering simple answers, they provide employees, students, colleagues, or whoever they may be directed with, the opportunity to delve deep with their responses and voice what is really on their minds.
Open-ended questions start with “Why?” “How?” and “What?” They encourage a full answer, rather than the simple “yes” or “no” response that is usually given to a closed-ended question.
Not only are these questions designed to elicit a longer and more detailed response, but they, likewise, ask the respondent to take extra time to consider what is being asked of them and what they should say.
Think of it this way; open-ended questions are for gathering insights rather than just answers.
These two types of questions work well when combined as not every question needs a long and detailed response, while others don’t require a great deal of thinking or consideration.
Closed-ended questions will, as previously mentioned, have a “yes” or “no” response. They may also feature a series of other predetermined responses (Options A, B, C for example). So let’s sum it up this way:
Open-ended questions
Closed-ended questions
Ok so now that we know exactly what makes up an open-ended question, and what they are not, let’s see what makes a good one.
A genuine interest in the response and a legitimate curiosity will help you to create open-ended questions that are meaningful and will help you to reach your goal or get the information you need. When writing your questions, spend time thinking about what you would like to know from your respondents.
Generally, questions that start with “what” are good, non-biased open-ended questions. For example “What did you think of today’s workshop?” or “What would you like to learn more about?” allow the respondent to answer without being influenced by the person asking the question.
Both of these examples also use verbs that focus on people’s thoughts and emotions - to think and to like’: this can be a great way to structure open-ended questions as these types of verbs force the respondent to answer in a more considered way. Other verbs that work well in this context are ‘to want’, ‘to believe’, and ‘to feel’.
Pro tip: While “why” questions are open-ended, they can often trigger a defensive answer from the respondent. For example “Why did you do that?” sounds accusatory, whereas “What did you use as the basis of your decision?” does not.
What is great about open-ended questions is that they can be run just as effectively in a live setting as they can when included as part of a self-paced survey. Including these as part of a survey can help you get nice background information as to why responses look the way they do and why trends may be appearing.
As mentioned before, they are best utilized when you want your audience or group to really think deeply about a certain topic or matter. They can be great when you are looking to kickstart a debate or discussion, or if you want to pick up on an answer and ask people to expand on it.
Open-ended questions are thus a great way to boost participation and engagement.
Not only will Mentimeter’s open-ended questions help you put into practice everything you have just read here in this blog - but you will also be able to create full surveys and presentations with a minimal amount of time and hassle.
Our presentations and surveys are designed to promote interaction and engagement so are the perfect way to gather all that thought-provoking feedback your open-ended questions will doubtlessly provide.
To get started just follow the link below and get ready to improve your presentations right away.
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