Why a Question is Not
Always a Question
Ask NO questions
and we get no information.
Ask NO questions
and we get no information.
Ask an improper question
and we get MEANINGLESS
information.
Lawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a
pulse?
Witness: No.
Lawyer: Did you check for blood pressure?
Witness: No.
Lawyer: Did you check for breathing?
Witness: No.
Lawyer: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began
the autopsy?
Witness: No.
Lawyer: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
Witness: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Lawyer: But could the patient have still been
alive nevertheless?
Witness: It is possible that he could have been alive and
practicing law somewhere
Which is worse?
Ask a questions that is
a bad question
and we get answers that look correct,
but which are meaningless information.
This is a very dangerous situation.
Five Bad Questions (from the Internet)
There are five things that women should never,
ever ask a guy, according to an article in an issue of
Sassy magazine.
The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?"
The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?"
2 - "Do you love me?"
The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?"
2 - "Do you love me?"
3 - "Do I look fat?"
The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?"
2 - "Do you love me?"
3 - "Do I look fat?"
4 - "Do you think she is prettier than me?“
The five questions are:
1 - "What are you thinking?"
2 - "Do you love me?"
3 - "Do I look fat?"
4 - "Do you think she is prettier than me?"
5 - "What would you do if I died?"
Leading Questions:
A “leading” question is one that leads to
a certain answer….
http://efg-bnusfoodreserves.blogspot.com/2012/09/listen-to-reporters-conspireon.html
Leading Questions:
1. Presupposition
“What is your opinion of the disastrous national debt?”
Or:
“What is your opinion of the national debt?”
Leading Questions:
1. Presupposition
“Do you believe this popular product is
better than the competition?”
Leading Questions:
1. Presupposition
2. One-sided
“Should more government money be spent on
schools?”
Compared to what?
Leading Questions:
1. Presupposition
2. One-sided
3. Social desirable
“Right think”
“Right think in… right think out!”
Leading Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Presupposition
One-sided
Social desirable
Ambiguous
Leading Questions:
1. Presupposition
2. One-sided
3. Social desirable
4. Ambiguous
5. Double bind
“Have you stopped beating you wife yet?” Yes or No.
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1. Ambiguity
Be precise and use precise words:
Avoid words such as:
“like”
“you” “all” “good” “bad” “where”
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1. Ambiguity
2. Leading questions
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1. Ambiguity
2. Leading questions
3. Implied assumptions
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ambiguity
Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ambiguity
Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:
b. Better: Alternative suggested by IF or THEN
“Would you buy a fuel cell so you could be
independent of a utility company?”
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ambiguity
Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
a. Alternatives not expressed:
b. Better: Alternative suggested by IF or Then
“Would you buy a fuel cell so you could be
independent of a utility company if it cost 10%
more than you current payments?”
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ambiguity
Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
Generalizations and estimates
If a question becomes too generalized it may
lose its meaning…
and/or people will just guess.
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ambiguity
Leading questions
Implicit assumptions
Implicit alternatives
Generalizations and estimates
Double-Barreled questions
Questions connected with “and,” and “or”…
Which question is being answered??
Leading Questions:
What to avoid:
Double-Barreled questions
Questions connected with “and,” and “or”
Which question is being answered??
“Should our store give out more prizes, and
have more contests?”
Mary Michaud
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/tobaccoeval/pdf/good-bad.pdf