Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 5: Basic Techniques
• Method 2 of 5: Adapt to your environment
• Method 3 of 5: Make the question perfect
• Method 4 of 5: Formulating the question
• Method 5 of 5: Make the most of the answer
• Tips
• Warnings

Do you know that feeling of excitement when you ask a question in English and do not know how fully they will answer you? This article contains tips and examples of questions formulated in such a way that the answers to them will be 100% useful to you!

Steps

Method 1 of 5: Basic Techniques

1. 1 Explain your misunderstanding. Tell us what exactly you did not understand. The reason does not have to be real, it just needs to cover up your likely inattention.
   • "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you ..."
   • "I'm a bit unclear with that explanation ..."
   • "I think I might have missed something while I was taking notes here ..."
2. 2 Tell me what you know. Say something that is familiar to you on the topic. This will demonstrate that you have some understanding of the topic of the conversation.
   • "... I understand that King Henry wanted to split with the Catholic Church so that he could get a divorce ...."
   • "... I understand that the job includes benefits ..."
   • "... I understand that intake is up across the board ..."
3. 3 Then tell me that you don't know.
   • "... but I don’t understand how that led to the creation of the Church of England."
   • "... but I’m unclear on whether or not you include dental in that."
   • "... but I think I missed why we’re responding this way."
4. 4 Try to sound confident. You want to seem like an intelligent and attentive interlocutor who is just distracted for a second ...
5. 5 Take a step back. This will come in handy if you are suddenly told that everything has just been explained. Keeping an answer handy for this situation will make you seem smarter.
   • "Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you said something completely different and thought it seemed a bit off. I didn’t want to be rude and presume you were wrong. It’s my fault, I apologize." And so on ....
6. 6 Speak as best you can. When speaking English, you must use grammatical structures correctly and also be fluent in proper vocabulary. Try it - without it, good questions will not work.

Method 2 of 5: Adapt to your environment

1. 1 Ask questions during the interview. When asking a potential employer, you must demonstrate that you want to work (and work well) in that particular environment. Demonstrate that you share the values ​​and policies of the organization. Ask something like:
   • "Can you please describe a typical week in this position?"
   • "What opportunities will I have for growth and advancement?"
   • "How does this company manage its employees?"
2. 2 Ask the interviewee questions. When interviewing an applicant, you must determine how they will work. Avoid standard questions, because you will get standard, not honest, answers to them. Ask the following questions:
   • "What types of work would you not want to do in this position?" This question will highlight the weaknesses.
   • "How do you think this job will have to change in the next 5 years? 10?" This question will give you an idea of ​​how quickly the applicant responds to changes and whether they plan ahead.
   • "When is it okay to break the rules?" An excellent question for assessing ethical aspects and the ability to adapt to difficult situations.
3. 3 Ask questions online. People are more willing to answer logical questions online. People do not like to answer those questions, the answers for which are found in a couple of minutes of easy work with search engines. So, you really try! Also, make sure that:
   • Always research the issue yourself first.
   • Keep calm. Negative emotions in the text are not comme il faut.
   • Don't forget about grammar and punctuation spelling. A serious question - a serious answer and all that.
4. 4 Ask questions at a business meeting. In this case, of course, the questions are very, very different. It all depends on the role in which you came to the meeting. At the very least, don't forget about:
   • Ask questions related to current issues, the purpose of the meeting, whether the meeting is about current problems, etc.
   • Do not mumble, speak to the point.
   • Look to the future. In your questions, try to touch on this topic.

Method 3 of 5: Make the question perfect

1. 1 Identify the problem exactly. The ideal question is obtained when the person asking it knows exactly what he wants to know and has some background knowledge. In addition, the ideal question is not one that is answered in a minute on Google.
2. 2 Consider your purpose. The question must have a purpose, otherwise why is it needed? Your goal will determine what exactly you want to hear in response. And the more specific, the clearer you understand what exactly you want to know in response, the better your question will be.
3. 3 Compare the known and the unknown to you. Before asking a question, think about what you know and what you don’t know about the subject of the question. Do you have a big picture, but no details? There are details, but not the whole idea? You don't know anything at all? And the more you know, the better the question will be.
4. 4 Look for moments of misunderstanding. Ask yourself what you know about the topic and what you don’t understand. Are you sure you understand everything correctly? It often happens that questions do not find answers just because they were formulated on the basis of incorrect information. If you can check the facts, it's worth doing.
5. 5 Try to see the whole problem. Perhaps, having studied all sides of the coin, it will be possible to independently answer your question. A new approach to a problem is always helpful.
6. 6 Do your research first. If you have questions and, at the same time, the ability to look for answers - do it. In order to correctly and correctly ask a question, you need to know as much as possible on its topic. That's why it's worth doing a good job first.
7. 7 Decide which answer you need. Having studied the topic, you will be much better guided in it, you will understand what exactly you need to learn more. By the way, even writing it down on paper will be very useful, so as not to accidentally forget.
8. 8 Find someone to whom you can ask a question. A correctly asked question is one that, among other things, was asked to the right person. The more you know about the problem or the essence of the question, the easier it will be for you to find someone who can give you the desired answer.

Method 4 of 5: Formulating the question

1. 1 Use grammar properly. When asking a question, you must use the most appropriate grammar for the case. Pronunciation must be impeccable, speech intelligible. This will not only present you in a more favorable light, but also your question will sound clearer - in the literal sense.
2. 2 Be specific and precise. Try to do without imagery, speak directly and to the point. For example, you should not ask the HR officer if they have any vacancies when you know that you are open and have come to apply for one of them.
3. 3 Ask the question politely. You want to know what you do not know - so there is no point in being rude! If the answer suddenly seems not entirely suitable for you, politely ask how the person you contacted learned this from, and also if he knows where else to find out on this topic. In other words, prepare yourself to find the answer yourself.
4. 4 The question should be simple. Don't go into details if you don't need them. Excessive information is distracting and may even affect the exact answer you will be given (after all, you can be misunderstood if you dump out a bunch of unnecessary information at once).
   • For example, it is not necessary to retell the doctor the events of the whole day from the very morning until the moment when suddenly something in the stomach ached. He doesn't need to know that you were late for the bus 4 hours before. The doctor needs to know something else: what are you sick with, what you ate for breakfast, does your stomach hurt now ...
5. 5 Use open-ended or closed-ended questions. Which ones - see the situation. Need a specific answer or a yes or no question? Then a closed question will do. Need as much information as possible? Then open.
   • Open-ended questions are those that usually begin with “why” and “tell me more about”.
   • Closed-ended questions often begin with “when” and “who”.
6. 6 Speak confidently. Do not make excuses, do not belittle your own dignity. You ask a question, you are given an answer - the situation is absolutely everyday.
7. 7 Don't use parasitic words. Yes, they creep into our speech almost unconsciously, but this bad habit must be fought. The fewer words-parasites in speech, the smarter you seem.
8. 8 Explain why you are asking the question. If the situation allows - why not! This will resolve many possible misunderstandings and help the person you asked the question to more accurately understand what exactly you want to know.
9. 9 Never ask questions aggressively. This will not do honor, since such behavior is typical only for those who consider themselves and only themselves to be the only right. Aggression will not help matters! Ask because you are interested - and you will get a normal, useful answer.
   • Bad: "Isn’t it true that more people would be well-fed if we ate grains directly rather than feeding it to animals and eating their meat?"
   • Good: "Many vegetarians argue that there’d be more food available if society didn’t invest in meat production. The argument seems to make sense, but do you know of any arguments on the flip side?"
10. 10 Just ask! The most important thing in the question is to ask it! Strictly speaking, there are no “stupid questions”, and therefore you should not be ashamed to ask questions. Everybody asks questions, including smart people! In addition, the longer you do not ask, the more difficult it will be to cope with the task later.

Method 5 of 5: Make the most of the answer

1. 1 Don't embarrass the respondents. Do not pressure people if you notice this. The only ones who can defy this ban are journalists, lawyers and politicians. Everyone else is not allowed. Do not escalate the situation, it is better to step back and say thank you, especially if there are witnesses around. Then, if anything, discuss the issue again, tete-a-tete. In addition, in a number of situations it is necessary to be a real diplomat in order to get real answers ...
2. 2 Listen, do not discuss the answer. First, at least, it is necessary to listen to the answer from and to.Interrupting (and politely) a person is possible only when you do not understand something important.
3. 3 Wait for your question to be answered. Even if it seems to you that something important is missing, just wait. It is likely that this topic will be touched upon - in due time.
4. 4 Consider the answer you received. Analyze the findings carefully and determine if all questions have been answered. If something remains unanswered - well, perhaps the person simply does not know it! After all, just asking someone a question doesn’t guarantee that they will have an answer.
5. 5 Ask, if necessary, to clarify any difficult point. If you do not really understand the answer given to you, ask for clarification. There is nothing wrong with that. It will be worse if you still do not understand anything from the answer received.
6. 6 Keep asking questions. Ask questions until the problem is resolved. It is possible that in the process, questions will come to your mind that you have not previously thought about. In addition, the abundance of questions will demonstrate that you think about the answers you receive and value the information provided to you.
7. 7 Ask for some general advice on the topic. If you are asking an expert for an answer, that would be very appropriate. The expert knows a lot, you don't, so he has a lot to learn. In addition, many experts are happy to share their own experiences.

Tips

• Do not overdo it. Do not try to sound smarter and more educated by using words that you yourself do not fully understand. For instance:
  • "Did you go to the 'pharmacy' yesterday to get a physical?" (the word is used incorrectly).
  • "Did you go to the doctor to get that thing where they observe and poke at you, do a lot of testing and stuff to get your doctor to tell you if you’re the ship-sharpest person?" (sounds too mundane).
  • "Did you proceed to the physician to obtain a physical for your extracurricular activity to verify that the practitioner finds you to be in the most perfect exemplary condition in contrast to all his other patients?" (sounds too artificial).
• Avoid long words, they sound pretentious. Try to make your question sound competent and friendly, and the rest will follow.
• In some cases, you can find the answer yourself - and you shouldn't neglect it.
• Include participants in your question with phrases such as: - "did you think about .." or "Have you considered this question ..."
• Example: "Until now, I had always thought that classical music was not worth listening to. Maybe it is because all my friends hated it. But if musicians and educated men and women enjoy it, there must be something to it. I know you like it, so can you tell me what there is to appreciate? "
• Read more, it develops your horizons.

Warnings

• Didn't like the answers you received? Don't allow yourself to show aggression or dislike. If you are not ready for an unpleasant answer, it is better not to ask a question, since any question can provoke a bad answer.
• Never ask a question just for the sake of trying to look smarter or be the center of attention. These are the worst possible reasons to ask a question.