The start of school has happened for most of us, and as we meet up with our kids again at the end of the day, we like to know how things went!
We know how it goes…hoping to hear some details, you ask your child, “Did you have a good day?” Instead, we get the familiar response of “yes” or “no.” End of story.
So here’s where Open-Ended Questions come in!
An Open-Ended Question is the “O” of the OARS skills, and they are designed to get us more info.
Open-Ended Questions typically start with “How,” “What,” “Tell me about,” or “Describe.” The intention is to generate a more in-depth response than one word or a “yes/no”.
Here’s how it could look…
Instead of asking “Did your day go well?” you could try something like, “Tell me about your day,?” “Describe your day to me?” or, “How did you get through your day today?”
It can also be helpful to ask about something specific, such as, “What did you talk about in Social Studies today?” or “What happened in your physical education class?” or “Describe the art project you’re working on.”
These types of questions pull for more information, and the more we know about the people we are talking to, the better we can support them.
Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: When working with our kids, a low verbal client, or one who may be private or guarded, try opening your questions to get the conversation going!
