This is solid advice. It's akin to making a presentation (whether it's a sales pitch or a board presentation), and finishing with "Do you have any questions?" The danger, of course, is for people to say no or simply not answer. The better phrase is "What questions do you have for me?"
When you empower people to develop their own questions and feedback, you open up a whole range of commentary that you might not have been aware of. Plus, they feel like they're not cornered into a binary yes/no or good/bad response.
This is solid advice. It's akin to making a presentation (whether it's a sales pitch or a board presentation), and finishing with "Do you have any questions?" The danger, of course, is for people to say no or simply not answer. The better phrase is "What questions do you have for me?"
When you empower people to develop their own questions and feedback, you open up a whole range of commentary that you might not have been aware of. Plus, they feel like they're not cornered into a binary yes/no or good/bad response.
Well put, Scott. Thanks.
Perhaps the best time a closed-ended question is preferable is when it is positioned as a preface to an open-ended question.
"Do you have any thoughts?" followed by "What are they?"
Which is effective especially if you have an audience that tends not to speak.