How can you use questioning techniques to understand your team members better?

1 Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions are questions that invite your team members to share their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and perspectives in a detailed and descriptive way. They usually start with words like what, how, why, when, where, or who. For example, you can ask your team members: "What are the main challenges you face as a volunteer?" or "How do you balance your volunteering commitments with your other responsibilities?" Open-ended questions are useful for building rapport, understanding motivations, exploring issues, and generating ideas.

2 Closed-ended questions

Closed-ended questions are questions that require your team members to give a short or specific answer, such as yes or no, true or false, or a number or a name. They usually start with words like do, are, is, or have. For example, you can ask your team members: "Do you have any questions about the project?" or "Are you available for the next meeting?" Closed-ended questions are useful for confirming facts, checking understanding, clarifying details, and making decisions.

3 Probing questions

Probing questions are questions that follow up on your team members' responses to dig deeper, clarify, or expand on the information they provide. They usually start with words like could, would, can, or how. For example, you can ask your team members: "Could you explain how you reached that conclusion?" or "How would you implement that suggestion?" Probing questions are useful for challenging assumptions, exploring implications, finding solutions, and enhancing learning.

4 Reflective questions

Reflective questions are questions that mirror or paraphrase your team members' statements to show that you are listening and to check that you understand them correctly. They usually start with words like so, you mean, or in other words. For example, you can ask your team members: "So, you are saying that you need more support from the coordinator?" or "You mean that you are not satisfied with the feedback process?" Reflective questions are useful for acknowledging emotions, validating opinions, resolving conflicts, and summarizing key points.

By using these four types of questioning techniques, you can improve your communication skills as a volunteer and understand your team members better. You can also foster a more collaborative, respectful, and productive team environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?