These are broad, general questions that require your conversation partner to provide more than just a “yes” or “no” answer. They also permit the other person to decide how much information to give.

Open questions can do the following:

• Give us more information
• Encourage your conversation partner to speak openly
• Encourage people to share opinions and ideas
• Help us determine if people have interpreted what we say accurately

The following are examples of open ended questions that can be used in a performance evaluation meeting:

• “In your own words, evaluate your accomplishments this quarter.”
• “Tell me about your complaint.”
• “Tell me how I can help you achieve your goals.”
• “What do I have to give you to get what I want?”
• “Describe how you think the project developed.”