FUNNEL TECHNIQUE

One of the most fundamental questioning techniques is to start with broad, open questions and build on the speaker's responses by asking narrower, more specific questions. This is called the funnel technique. It's like painting a picture. You start with a blank canvas and begin filling in the background with broad brush strokes. Gradually you add more and more detail until you have a complete picture. With questions, you start out at the top of the funnel with a broad question and then as you move down the funnel, you "paint with a finer brush"—by asking closed ques­tions that demand more exact answers—and fill in the details.

With the funnel technique, you actually begin exploring the other person's needs and expectations, problems and opportu­nities by using your questioning and listening skills. You start with, "Tell me about your business" or "What are your long-range goals in this position?" or "What's important to you?" A typical computer salesperson might ask a prospect what kind of computer system he currently has or what his computer needs are. The hotshot salesperson who has learned the funnel technique starts out by asking about the prospect's business or operation. A manager trying to locate the cause of a recurring problem could say, "Why does this switch keep failing?" An artful questioning manager would start on a broader level, saying something like, "Tell me about the overall process that surrounds the switch." A supervisor trying to deal with a tardy employee could ask why the employee is late again. Or he could sit down with the employee and ask, "How are you feeling about your job?" Broad-brush questions give you a lot of information about the situation, in­cluding important clues as to where to direct more specific follow-up questions, and give the other person a chance to relax and tell you what he thinks is important.

Broad, open-ended questions show your interest in the other person's situation. They often start with "tell me," "how," "who," "what," or "why." They are much more powerful than closed questions that require a simple answer such as "yes" or "no" or a specific piece of information. After the broad question opens the conversation and begins to build rapport, the artful questioner builds on the responses and adds to his understanding of the information being transferred. Our computer salesperson might have a client who says, "I need more control over our order system." He then builds on that response by asking a question using the most important words in the answer—control and order system. For instance, he might ask, "What aspects of your order system would you like to have more control over?" or "Could you tell me more about your order system?" When the client responds, he builds his next question around the response to that question and so on.

The broad, open questions at the top of the funnel are easy for the speaker to answer. They give the speaker the freedom to tell you whatever he wants. By the time you get to the more specific questions, he can see where you're heading with your questions and he'll be willing to share more information with you. Not only that, but most people's level of trust and willingness to share

information is related directly to how much information they have previously shared.

Here's another example of building on previous responses. Imagine two people meeting on an airplane—the words that are used to build the next response are shown in italics:

"Hello, my name is Ellen. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a writer." "A writer... what kind of writing do you do?"

"Mostly humor. Occasionally I write something se­rious or philosophical but people seem to laugh at that, too."

"Humor—I've always thought that must be the hard­est kind of writing to do. Tell me how you do it."

"Well, for me, it's one part sarcasm, two parts irrev­erence, and a dash of creativity. I shake the whole thing up and hope it doesn't explode in my face!"

Notice how the intelligent use of the funnel technique has guided the conversation from a simple, nonmeaningful declara­tion, "I'm a writer," to a fairly detailed, very personal expression!

Here are some general strategies to help you formulate your questions in a way that helps you meet your objectives:

1. Have a plan. Know what you want to accomplish and what type of questions you will need to use. You don't have the questions written out in advance but you should be clear about your objectives.

2. Keep the question simple. It's best to ask for one answer at a time. A question like: What do you think about the marketing plan and will the new ad campaign confuse customers and would that confusion actually be beneficial to the long-term product growth? will not produce a meaningful answer. If you ask a two-part question, people tend to either answer the second part only or only the part they were interested in or felt safe with. Ask one question at a time!

3. Stay focused. Keep the questions on track and follow a topic to its conclusion. Any question that starts with By the way... is probably going off on a tangent. Hold the question for later.

4. Stay nonthreatening. Trust is a key essential incommunication. The wrong question can quickly destroy trust in the relationship. Why didn't you...? How could you...? Aren't you...? are all questions which generally make people defensive. Once someone throws up a wall of defense, the opportunity for exchanging information and building a relationship goes away.

5. Ask permission. If the area of questioning is sensitive, explain the need for the questions and ask permission before proceeding. The application requires some detail about your financial condition. Would you mind answering..?

6. Avoid ambiguity. Ambiguous questions generate ambiguous answers. Could you support the budget? does not tell en whether the person would support it.

7. Avoid manipulation. Keep the relationship as a primary focus. Tricking someone into giving you an answer you want destroy trust and rapport. Would you prefer to work overtime tonight or tomorrow night? does not give a person the chance tosay that he or she doesn't want to work overtime at all. Explaining the need for the overtime and asking if he's available has a totally different feel. Manipulation is an attempt to take away a person's control

Mastering the art of asking questions will help you gain the information you need, build trust, stimulate the views and opinions of others, and verify information. The next chapter will show you how to add the process of feedback to your "receiving" skills.

 

2. Answer the questions based on the text:

- Why are questions so important?

- What reasons of asking questions are offered in the text?

- What are the major two types of questions?

- How can questions help clarify something?

- Which technique of asking question is considered one of the most fundamental? Give its definition.

- Name some general strategies which can help formulate right questions?

-

3. In the text “The art of asking questions” you can find 6 reasons we ask questions. Make up your own questions to illustrate these reasons.

 

4. Go through the following topics/ideas and decide if they are acceptable for introduction into a conversation with a person of the same age whom you meet for the first time at a fairly informal social event like a party in your culture. Add any conditions you think are necessary.

- Age: could you ask someone’s age?

- Family relationships: could you talk about problems and conflicts in your family? Could you ask if someone is married?

- Relationships: could you talk about your private life?

- Health: could you talk about any health problems?

- National (party) politics: could you criticize or praise government or opposition policies or politicians?

- International politics: could you talk about international relations?

- Jokes: could you tell a joke? What topics would be taboo?

- Professions: could you ask what others’ professions are? Could you talk about your own?

- Money: could you ask what something has cost or what somebody earns?

 

5. Watch the video from the movie “When Harry met Sally”. Analyze the questions asked by the characters. Do they make any communicative mistakes during the conversation?