6.1 Define the detail of a complex enquiry in conjunction with the client

Table of Contents

1. Reference interview techniques for complex enquiries
   1. Defining the nature of the enquiry
   2. Communication skills
   3. Spoken language
   4. Body language
   5. Feedback
   6. Note taking
   7. Writing e-mails
   8. Open and Closed Questions
   9. Using open and closed questions
2. Eliciting information and advice from knowledgeable clients
3. Determining the nature of detailed information to be provided
4. Constraints

Open and Closed Questions

In the reference interview, you will use both open and closed questions. These have different uses. It is important to be able to distinguish between the two types of question and to use them appropriately.

Closed questions prompt yes/no or short factual answers, such as:

Q. What is the deadline for my getting this information for you?

A. Next Tuesday

Q. Have you checked this reference already?

A. Yes

Open questions encourage longer answers, such as:

Q. Can you explain briefly what my colleague did last time?

A. She started with Yahoo and then tried a couple of other search engines as well. I think she was looking it up under something like pagan religions in Wales. We got quite a lot of useful stuff.

Let's look now at Using open and closed questions ...