How Does What You Ask Impact The Information You Get?

Many managers and leaders I've met think that the people who report to them are bad communicators - they aren’t sharing good enough information, or they aren't sharing often enough. In my experience, however, those leaders often have a questioning problem - they're not asking the right questions with the right frequency. What you ask (and the way you ask it) determines the quality of what you hear.

Compare these two questions:

“Did the project go well?”

“What parts of the project went well, and where did you run into obstacles?”

The first invites a one-word response. The second invites reflection, nuance, and detail.

There is some debate over what makes an open-ended question: is it a yes/no question, or simply one that can be answered without much effort? (I'm in the yes/no camp, but that's not important.) Open-ended questions require the other person to dig into their own brain, organize their thoughts, and share their perspective in their own words.

Some of my favorites include:

• “What's getting in the way of you being able to do XYZ?”

• “How are you feeling about XYZ?”

• “What concerns do you have?”

• “What am I missing?”

These questions do more than gather facts. They reveal assumptions, emotions, motivations, and context. And research consistently shows that open-ended questions produce more informative responses.

A classic study by Rosemery Nelson-Gray and colleagues found that open-ended questions generated significantly more problem-related statements (statements that describe what's wrong rather than what's right) than closed-ended questions, even when interviewees did not talk substantially longer. In other words, people provided more useful information, not just more words.

Motivational Interviewing, a collaborative, client-centered counseling style designed to help you resolve ambivalence and mobilize your own internal motivations for behavior change, was developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980s and relies heavily on open-ended questions because they increase engagement, reduce defensiveness, and encourage people to articulate their own motivations for change.

It's pretty clear: if you want better information, ask broader questions.

But what's so bad about closed-ended questions? Nothing really. In fact, they're useful when you need specific facts. But when used too early, they can unintentionally limit what people share. I see this especially in leaders who are uncomfortable asking open-ended questions and sitting in silence while their employees think. They'll say something like, "What caused the delay?" and then pause for three seconds and add, "Staffing? Traffic? Something else?"

When you do this, you frame the issue before hearing their perspective. Perhaps the real problem is unclear priorities, conflicting approvals, or a flawed process. Closed-ended questions help confirm what you think you know. Open-ended questions help you discover what you don’t.

The benefits of open-ended questions aren't just for you, either. They also improve the quality of the other person’s thinking. When you ask a powerful open-ended question (like "What am I missing?"), you prompt analysis, reflection, and ownership. (This is one reason great coaches spend far more time asking questions than talking.)

Additionally, open-ended questions can make the other person feel included. When I hear, “What’s your perspective?” I feel invited rather than evaluated. And people are more likely to share important information when they feel they are being understood rather than judged.

There's one open-ended question starter that I recommend staying away from, though: why.

“Why?” questions can sometimes sound accusatory and can lead to answers that may be off topic. For example:

• “Why did you do that?” ---> "I'm just no good at math."

• “Why are you behind schedule?” ---> "Because Steve didn't do his part."

  
  

A better approach is to reframe your "why" question with a “what” or “how.”

• “What led to that decision?” --> "I was trying to stay away from math, so I focused on the anecdotal data."

• “What factors contributed to the delay?” --> "Delivery was late, production got backed up, and Steve's team didn't get the data until we had already missed the milestone."

  
  

These alternatives maintain curiosity while reducing defensiveness.

Here are a few of my favorites:

To Understand a Situation

“What’s happening here?”

“What do you see that others might miss?”

“What else should I know?”

"What am I missing?"

To Explore a Problem

“What do you think is driving this?”

“What patterns are you noticing?”

“What have you already tried?”

To Promote Ownership

“What options do you have?”

“What do you recommend?”

“What’s your next step?”

"What would you do if I weren't here?"

To Surface Risk

“What concerns you most?”

“What could derail this?”

“What assumptions are we making?”

"Where could this go wrong?"

To Deepen the Conversation

“What happened next?”

“What's an example of that?”

“Tell me more.”

Three words can transform a conversation: Tell me more. This simple prompt communicates attention and interest without steering the response. When in doubt, use this phrase and stay quiet. (Actually quiet. Not pretend-quiet-but-asking-follow-up-closed-ended-questions.)

If you want better answers, ask better questions.

Open-ended questions uncover richer information, stimulate clearer thinking, and build stronger relationships. They help you move beyond surface-level responses and get to what really matters.

The next time you’re tempted to ask a yes-or-no question, try this instead: “What am I missing?”

Then listen.