@MiracleFoundation2021
Basic Counseling Skills III – Open and Closed Questions
Asking the right question is at the heart of effective communication. By using the right
questions in a particular situation, you can gather better information, learn more, build
stronger relationships, and help others to learn, too.
The questions we ask can help a person open up or can close them down.
Closed Questions are used to get specific information. They can normally be answered with
yes or no, a single word, or short phrase.
Examples: Do you like bananas? Are you mad about that? Do you enjoy sports?
Closed Questions:
Give you just the facts
Stop the conversation
Keep control of the conversation with the questioner
Keep your focus on your next question instead of what the person is saying
Open Questions are used to gather a lot of information. You use them when you want a
longer, more thorough response.
Examples: What kinds of fruit do you like? How do you feel about that? What sports
do you enjoy?
Open Questions:
Give you a longer answer with lots of useful information
Ask the person to think and reflect
Give you opinions and feelings
Give control of the conversation to the respondent
Open questions are more effective in emotional situations
when you want the person to express feelings.
@MiracleFoundation2021
Avoid suggestive questions such as “Don’t you think…?” “Shouldn’t you…?” With these
questions you are inserting your thoughts and opinions into the question and not allowing
the person to have an open response. (Your message is: “I think you should.”) Change your
question to “What do you think…?”
Sample Closed and Open Sentences - Notice the difference in the type of response you might
get…
Closed: “Do you want to try talking to your friend about it?” (Response: Yes or no)
Open: “What do you think would happen if you tried to talk to your friend about it?”
(Response: “I’m scared of what they will think of me…”)
@MiracleFoundation2021
Worksheet
Change the following closed questions to open:
1. Do you like school?
________________________________________________________________________
2. Do you want to try talking to him about that?
________________________________________________________________________
3. Are you angry about the way she yelled at you?
________________________________________________________________________
4. Did you have fun on the field trip?
________________________________________________________________________
5. Do you think your friend would agree with that?
________________________________________________________________________
6. Are you upset that you didn’t get a good mark in math?
________________________________________________________________________
7. Did you agree to play just so your friend wouldn’t get mad?
________________________________________________________________________
8. Is Payal your best friend at school?
________________________________________________________________________
@MiracleFoundation2021
Worksheet – Answer Key
(Sample responses – there are many correct responses)
1. Do you like school?
Can you tell me how you feel about school?
2. Do you want to try talking to him about that?
What do you think would happen if you talked to him about that?
3. Are you angry about the way she yelled at you?
How did it make you feel when she yelled at you? Can you describe it to me?
4. Did you have fun on the field trip?
What did you enjoy about the trip? Can you tell me about it?
5. Do you think your friend would agree with that?
What do you think your friend’s response would be to that?
6. Are you upset that you didn’t get a good mark in math?
How do you feel about your marks in math?
7. Did you agree to play just so your friend wouldn’t get mad?
Why did you agree to play with your friend?
8. Is Payal your best friend at school?
Tell me about your friends at school.
