Questioning Techniques to Promote Thinking

Critical thinking is a very important aspect in every individual. Questioning techniques were designed to develop our cognitive skill. Questions are as good as the responses provided so it is better to sharpen our questioning skills. Our level of thinking is not so much sharpened when the questions asked are more on factual recall or stock knowledge.  We get to hone our cognitive aspect through higher level questions that require more than basic knowledge-level responses. Questions must be constructed in a way that triggers evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of facts… Read More

Questioning Technique

In the language of computers, if you key in the wrong information or data, you would get the wrong information out. This same premise is true for the aspect of communication as well. You gather wrong answers from wrong questions. So, how do you make it a point to elicit the correct responses with the proper information from others? The answer is simply to ask the right kind of questions. We say that questioning is one of the major tools in communication but asking the right questions is the ingredient… Read More

Questionnaire to Elicit Information

Conducting research is one of the essentials tools used by many organizations as an accurate and precise method of gathering data. The research team must identify what they want from the research or how they want it to be conducted. Failed researches are brought about by the inaccurate use of the research method. A very common method used by most researchers in the collection of data is through the use of questionnaires. Choosing the Type of Questionnaire to Use After deciding to use a questionnaire as the method to conduct… Read More

How to Paraphrase Questions

Too often people ask us a lot of questions and some of these may be complicated or not properly structured so we need to repeat back what was asked in order to verify if that is what the person meant. We call this process paraphrasing. The term simply means repeating another person’s ideas in your own understanding but retaining the thought of the statement or question. Simple as it may seem, not everyone applies paraphrasing in all of their conversations. It is a useful technique to help you unlock the… Read More

How to Formulate Questions

It is human nature to ask questions. We all do so, and this inclination usually starts during our childhood days, and continues until maturity and even up to the last moments of our lives. Just imagine if we all live each day without asking questions. There will be chaos and misunderstandings and we would all be endlessly searching for answers to the things that we want to know. It is not enough to simply ask questions for the sake of asking. Maybe when we were kids, we are spared of… Read More

How to Ask Powerful Questions

One of the most effective tools in communication is the ability to ask questions. Being able to ask effective questions is a skill we must acquire. Skillful questioning is one of the key ingredients of solid and successful relationships, strategic planning, and significant exchange of information and opinions. Questions that are poorly constructed and weak can lead to a poor communication exchange and may cause misunderstanding. Skillful questioning techniques are considered the foundation for powerful questions. With powerful questions, we are able to dig deep into a confusing issue and… Read More

How to Ask Better Questions

We know the fact that asking questions is very critical, yet this reality is often misunderstood and disregarded. It is perfectly normal to be inquisitive. In fact, this behavior even helps a person in learning the things that should be grasped. It also makes us understand why we do the things we do everyday and lead us to knowing what is right and what is wrong. However, questions have to be well-constructed and asked properly. Whenever our questions are weak and poorly created, the chances of getting the information that… Read More

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Asking the right question is very important in order to get the right information and in achieving the purpose of asking questions. When you formulate and ask your questions appropriately, you are able to understand easily, and if comprehension is not fully achieved, you are able to ask more questions that would dig deep into the information. An individual who is able to progress the manner of questioning from easy to moderate to creative level is at the same time developing cognitive growth. This concept was studied and introduced many… Read More

Closed Ended Questions

Questions may be of various forms and purposes but they generally fall into two main types: open ended questions and closed ended questions. Open ended questions are meant to gather more information through elaboration and explanation. Closed ended questions, on the other hand, are asked to verify and confirm, usually eliciting only simple and specific answers. The focus of this article is on the concept of asking closed ended questions and the manner of asking such type of question. We ask questions at any point in our conversation with other… Read More

Open Ended Questions

In any type of conversation, asking questions is a crucial part of it. Effective communication does not just require active listening but also the ability to ask the right, relevant questions. We ask different kinds of questions to the people we talk to. When seeking for more information, we ask open ended questions. These questions are asked to encourage the speaker to talk more about the topic or anything that interests the speaker. Using open-ended questions should be done frequently in a conversation as it makes us “tell our own… Read More

Types of Questions

Did you ever wonder why we ask questions? We ask questions if we want to find out something that is not known and even with the things that we already have knowledge of. Even little kids ask questions out of curiosity over the many amazing things they see and experience around them. Questions provide answers to our curious minds, things that need reasoning, things we do not understand, and discovery of something new. Questions make us reflect on the way we deal with life and promote a better understanding of… Read More

Questioning Attitude

A curious person asks a lot of questions. They say that an inquisitive individual doubles the chances of acquiring new and increasing knowledge about many things because the person does not stop asking questions. We all have a questioning attitude even at an early age. Kids seem to have an endless list of questions in their minds about the many wonders that astonish them. They would probably ask what rain is and once you start to give an answer, they will not stop throwing you the “why’s” of everything that… Read More

How to End Your Presentation Gracefully

The conclusion part is one of the significant and important aspects in a presentation other than the introduction. People remember best the last thing they hear and the last thing you say. In closing a speech or a presentation, it should be more than simply closing it or telling the audience that it is over. You should leave a take-home message or drive them back to the main points and wrap up the talk in full circle to the main objectives. Let us find out some helpful techniques in wrapping… Read More

Handling Unexpected Events During Presentation

We learned that good preparation is a secret ingredient to a successful presentation. But even if you have rehearsed well enough, do not expect too much. There may be unguarded moments during your presentation that will paint a flaw in the almost too perfect speech. Yet, an effective presenter is ready for any circumstance and possible occurrences. A true professional knows how to handle unexpected and troubling situations. It is more of a conditioned mindset of waiting and preparing when it will come rather than asking if it will ever… Read More

Handling Question and Answer Sessions

The Question and Answer session is part of many presentations. Both the questions and responses are generated by you, as the presenter, and your audience about the subject given. At certain points in your presentation, you ask your audience some questions to check for comprehension of the subject or to elicit ideas from them. In the same way, your audience asks questions for clarification and supplemental information. At all times, you need to anticipate any type of questions from them and be ready with your responses. The kinds of questions… Read More

Effective Presentation Guide

Many of us dread public speaking or giving a presentation because the mere thought of speaking before a group of people is enough to bring about nervousness. However, this kind of experience is one good way of building confidence. It may not always be easy talking in front of a crowd but there are ways to manage the fear and anxiety or even recover from a poor presentation. Just follow simple tips to make your presentation experience a memorable and effective one, both for you and your audience. In this… Read More

Presentation Visual Aids

People have various ways and styles in learning. There are good listeners, those who do well in retaining information and comprehending ideas based on what they heard. Others prefer to have a visual learning approach, meaning they need to picture out or envision what they hear so they can easily comprehend. In delivering a presentation, both oral or verbal and visual approach will work best. As in any form of presentation whether professional or informal, the use of visual materials is key to a successful presentation. You let your audience… Read More

Presentation Planning

A fundamental element in a successful presentation is preparation. If you are asked to make a presentation, give yourself ample time to organize and plan things out so it will be an impressive result. An effective and successful presentation is a product of carefully planned and well-rehearsed preparation. You need to develop a presentation scheme for an organized approach. In your planning, three essentials should be outlined on your planning sheet. These are establishing your objectives, knowing your audience, and preparing for the content or material. Planning your presentation helps… Read More

Creating Effective Visual Aids

In an oral presentation, the auditory sense of the audience is the fundamental method in getting your message across. However, a plain verbal manner of presenting can elicit boredom and slow grasping of ideas. For your audience to understand what you are explaining, visuals will reinforce your message. So, they do not just make use of the auditory sense but visual stimuli as well. But visual aids need to be well-designed to be effective. You cannot just flash them to your audience without explaining what it means. Visual and verbal… Read More

The Power of Words

When we engage in an oral presentation especially if the purpose is to persuade and convince your audience, we have to make it a point to impress them from start to finish. One of the important elements that should be considered is the use of words and language in a presentation. The Power of Words Words can be so powerful it can build or destroy good relationships and can transform or change viewpoints. In the technical aspect of communication whether oral or written, the choice of words reflects the individual’s… Read More