Close-Ended vs. Open-Ended Questions: Asking the right questions.

The questions below are considered close-ended questions:

1. Have you ever sent a text message while driving?

2. Would you say you travel abroad frequently?

3. Do you post a lot of pictures on Instagram?

4. Do you prefer to shop at big boxes or locally owned stores?

5. Do you have an iPhone or an Android phone?

6. How often do you eat sweets?

7. Do you tend to buy things that are on sale?

Imagine that someone asks you those questions, and think about how many ways you can answer each of them. Primarily two, correct? It is either a “yes” or a “no,” “often” or “not very often,” “A” or “B.” And then you stop right there, feeling an awkward silence between you and the person and trying to fill the gap by adding something repetitive like “I guess” or “I don’t think so.” That’s it for the conversation unless the person follows up with more questions.

Or he should have asked story-prompting questions right at the beginning. How can he do that? Turning close-ended questions into open-ended questions! Below are two alternative open-ended questions for each close-ended question above:

1. What are the things you often do while you are driving?

How distracted do you think you are when you are driving?

2. How do you feel about traveling abroad?

What are some of your best abroad trips, if any?

3. How do you use your Instagram?

Why do you have an Instagram?

4. Where do you like to shop?

What kind of stores is your favorite?

5. How do you like your current phone?

Why did you buy your current phone?

6. What do you think about eating sweets?

When do you often find yourself craving some sweets?

7. What are some factors that determine the things you buy?

To what extent does price influence your purchase decision?

For communicators and marketers who often do qualitative research to understand their audience, asking the right questions is vital. Asking the questions that prompt the participants to not only answer but also tell stories should be the goal. Open-ended questions help with that. Without enclosing preexisting assumptions or suggesting answers, open-ended questions create space for the respondents to open up, explore their minds, and share anything they feel comfortable sharing. When answering an open-ended question, respondents are more likely to elaborate on their answers and offer further details we may not expect. It is the unexpected information that often becomes actionable insights for a campaign.

This is not a story meant to reject the use of close-ended questions. Close-ended questions are particularly preferable in a survey and other quantitative research methods where we only want to collect certain answers. For qualitative research, close-ended questions can also be used in combination with an open-ended question to simplify the question. For example, “Do you tend to buy things that are on sale? Why or why not?”

Asking the right questions in the right approach ultimately helps understand human beings as they are.

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Date published: September 27, 2022

Programs used: Word & Grammarly

Brief description: Examples of closed-ended and open-ended questions and a discussion about the

importance of asking the right question.