Discussion Skills Two: Questions

Questions are very important in discussions, asking the right questions can create a fun and interesting conversation, but the wrong ones can kill it. Closed questions are not so good because they can be answered with just yes or no, for example:

Aさん: Do you like animals?
B:さん: Yes.

Open questions are better because the answer will have more information, for example:

Aさん： What kind of animals do you like?
Bさん:   I like many animals, for example, dogs and horses, but I especially like cats.

So with the open question, you learn more and have a lot of chances to ask more questions. This is also true when asking for opinions, for example:

Aさん: Do you think global warming is a bad thing?
Bさん: Yes.

This closed question only gets a one-word answer, but what answers would you give to the questions below?

1. What do you think about global warming?
2. How do you feel about the Tokyo Olympics?
3. What is your opinion about North Korea?

Often my students try to give their opinion or experience before asking the question, but if it is too long, it makes the conversation's atmosphere to become bad. So one sentence is best, for example:

1. It seems to me that the situation in North Korea is getting worse, what do you think about it?
2. I think Kyoto needs a better bus system, how do you feel about it?
3. From my experience private train lines are more reliable than JR lines, what is your opinion.

Now prepare six open opinion questions to ask in class:

1. What do you think about...
2. How do you feel about...
3. What is your opinion about...
4. It seems to me that...      what do you think about it?
5. I think...   how do you feel about it?
6. From my experience...    what is your opinion?