Mesures de percepció de la satisfacció del professorat

Even though questions are a large part of the communications we engage in every day, not all the questions we ask need to be asked. Some questions are not appropriate, and some are not relevant to the topic you're discussing. Also, if you don't listen closely and remember your objective, you can easily miss important responses.

In the dialogue below, what do you think about the way Francine asks Benito about his job performance?

FRANCINE: So, Benito, how do you think you did this quarter?

BENITO: Okay, I guess. Yeah, pretty well. In fact, I ...

FRANCINE: That's great. Are you enjoying yourself here?

BENITO: Sure. Everyone's pretty nice. I've made some good friends. In fact, Brett and I are talking about getting an apartment together... .

FRANCINE: That would be nice. Rents are so expensive, aren't they?

So is there anything about the job you want to talk about?

BENITO: Don't think so.

FRANCINE: Well, I think you're doing well, too. By the way, what do you think about this thing with the election? Isn't it amazing?

Francine didn't do a very good job of asking questions. Her questions were so general that Benito gave her no useful information. In fact, she interrupted him just as he seemed about to say something specific. She asked closed-ended instead of open-ended questions.

Worse, the question about the election was not relevant, and it was not an appropriate question for a manager to ask of an employee, especially in a job performance interview.

Francine would have done a better job if she had followed the guidelines in Exhibit 4-4.

Exhibit 4-4: Key Strategies for Asking Useful Questions Some key strategies for asking questions are:

 Know why you're asking the question.

 Ask the right type of question.

 Be sure the question is relevant, necessary, and appropriate.

 State the question clearly.

 Give people time to respond.

 Listen attentively to responses.

Know Why You're Asking the Question

It's always important to know the purpose of the questions you ask. Are you simply asking questions to build or maintain a relationship? Is there specific information you need? Why do you need it? What might happen if you do not get it? Are you trying to help people clarify their thinking or get them to participate in a discussion? Why does it matter whether those people are able to resolve their problem or express their ideas?

Francine's purpose should have been to elicit information that could help her determine how well Benito thought he was doing his job and identify any problems that might be interfering with his performance. Focusing on that purpose would have helped her formulate more useful questions.

Think About It ...

Think of a situation in which asking questions can help you achieve a specific objective.

Ask the Right Type of Question

As you learned earlier in this chapter, there are different types of questions. The types of questions you ask depend on such factors as the situation and your purpose. Which type of questions would be most effective in each of the situations in Exercise 4-1?

Exercise 4-1

Instructions: For each of the situations below, circle the type or types of questions that would be most effective.

Situation 1

1. Sandy needs to ask Marvin, who works in Accounting, whether a vendor has been paid. Marvin is very friendly and likes to talk. In fact, when Marvin is asked almost any question, he is likely to answer with a great deal of unnecessary information. What type or types of questions should Sandy ask?

a. unnecessary information. For instance, she might say, "Did Vendor X receive a check?" instead of, "What can you tell me about the payment situation for Vendor X?" If she needs additional information, she can continue to ask closedended questions: "Did you receive the invoice Vendor X sent on such and such a date?" "Can I tell Vendor X that she will receive her check by the end of the month?"

Situation 2

1. Bruno is interviewing Delilah, who has applied for a position in his department. When Bruno asks why she has applied for the position, Delilah says, "It sounded interesting." What type or types of

Answers

1. Bruno should ask open-ended, probing questions. He could begin with a broad question such as, "What sounded interesting about the position?" and then continue to probe for more information by asking for more specifics.

Be Sure the Question Is Relevant, Necessary, and Appropriate

Francine's question about whether Benito was enjoying himself at the company threw the conversation off track and brought in information that was not relevant to Benito's job performance. While you might use that kind of question to establish rapport at the beginning of a meeting or interview, it is not helpful during the interview itself. Inappropriate questions, such as Francine's question about the election, can also throw a conversation off track. They can also offend people or make them uncomfortable.

Before asking a question, think about whether it serves a purpose and is relevant to the topic at hand. Consider what would happen if you didn't ask that question. Sometimes it's helpful to wait for 10 seconds before asking a question so you can consider how to phrase it or whether to ask it at all.

Be especially careful to avoid questions that might be offensive or cause discomfort. The problem might be the content, such as Francine's question about the election. In the workplace, it is usually best not to inquire about a person's politics, religion, sexual preference, or personal life.

Sometimes the problem is not so much the content as it is the way a question is asked.

Think about how you would feel if you were asked questions like the ones shown below:

"Why did you dye your hair that color?"

"Don't you think you're being too sensitive?"

"Do you really believe that anyone will take that idea seriously?"

"When are you going to learn to do that right?"

All of these questions challenge people to defend themselves. Instead of eliciting a useful response, these kinds of questions are likely to elicit bad feelings, hostility, and anger.

Think About It ...

Has anyone ever asked you a question that made you uncomfortable? Was it the content of the question or the way the question was phrased?

State the Question Clearly

If you don't get a helpful answer to your question, perhaps you haven't asked the question clearly. Suppose someone asks, "What do you think about the meeting next week?" Does the person want to know whether you think the meeting should be held, whether it's worth attending, whether the right people have been invited, or whether it's being held in the right place?

People often assume that the other person understands what they mean, and they do not realize that the question is unclear. But people also ask unclear questions because they haven't figured out what they want to know, as in this example:

TRACY: Jean-Paul, I heard that some people have been having trouble with the new invoice processing procedures, and I agree that they are sort of confusing, although I'm not sure what I can do

about it, but maybe you could fill me in?

If you were Jean-Paul, could you tell from Tracy's rambling question what she really wants to know? Probably not. Tracy might not know herself. If she did, she could ask the question more clearly:

TRACY: Jean-Paul, I heard that some of the staff have been having trouble with the new invoice processing procedures. I agree that the procedures are a little confusing, and I'd like to help if I can. Can you tell me who is having trouble, and what it is about the procedures that they don't understand?

Give People Time to Respond

What do you think is going on in the following situation? How do you think Julia feels?

SUZANNE: I'd like your opinion about Mario's suggestion that we delay the product launch.

JULIA: Hm. He made some good points, that's for sure... . SUZANNE: So you agree we should delay the launch?

JULIA: That's not what I said; it's just that his point about the test cycle....

SUZANNE: Oh, you mean we need to run more tests?

Suzanne is jumping in with assumptions about what Julia is about to say, so Julia probably feels frustrated because she has no time to respond. If you are really interested in the answers to your questions, give people the time they need to respond, and avoid assuming that you already know their answers.

Listen Attentively to Responses

Suzanne was not really listening to Julia's responses, so she was not getting the information she needed. An important part of asking questions is listening carefully to the way people respond. That's how you'll know the person has understood what you asked and whether you need to ask additional clarifying or probing questions.

"Listen" to more than the other person's words. As you learned in Chapter 2, real listening means paying attention to nonverbal cues such as tone of voice and facial expressions because those cues often give you more information than people's words. Dissonance between what people say and their nonverbal expressions can indicate that the words might not be an accurate indication of what they really think or feel.

What do you think might be going on in this example?

Bill asks Jeffery, "Would you mind working overtime tomorrow?" Jeffery replies, "Uh, sure, no problem." But his tone is clipped and abrupt, he frowns, and he looks down at the floor as he speaks.

The nonverbal cues conflict with Jeffery's words, implying that he certainly would mind working overtime. If Bill "listens" carefully, he can check out his perception by asking a clarifying question and giving Jeffery a chance to back out: "Are you sure that it's all right for you to work overtime tomorrow? If not, I'll be glad to ask someone else."

Think About It ...

Look for opportunities to notice the ways in which people ask questions. What do they do that works? What might they do differently so their questions are more useful?