How to Answer an Open Ended Question

Don't get stranded by a question mark again.

From pageant contestants to politicians, even the most brilliant orator has stumbled when answering an open-ended question. While one-word answers have been the bane of many a parent and investigative journalist's existence, they have also been the recourse of many a subject, intimidated by the fear of sounding inarticulate. Here is how to master the art of answering the open-ended question.

Things You'll Need

• Written or oral prompt

Instructions

1. Research your topic in advance. While this may not be practical in every situation, if you are able to give any cursory attention to your topic via the Internet, expert consultation or through some other means prior to an interview, test or possible questioning scenario --- do so.

2. Repeat the question for clarity. For example, "Why do you think the Saints should win the Super Bowl?" If the prompt is a live question, repeating it verbally or mentally will buy you time to reflect on your most authentic answer. As an opening strategy, repeating the question also allows you to confirm that you understand it correctly. If you are responding to a written prompt, simply re-reading the question will suffice as a substitution for this step.

3. Restate the prompt as a complete sentence, or opening statement. For example, "In my opinion, the Saints have to win the Super Bowl." Observe that the sample response swaps the word "think" for "my opinion"; it uses emphasis where appropriate; and it avoids following a more elementary form of restatement, such as the following: "I think the Saints should win the Super Bowl, because...." This method of using similar language to respond to an open-ended question can strengthen your overall answer by absorbing any conversational habits that would otherwise be regarded as unnatural or disingenuous.

4. Provide detail(s) to support your answer. For example, "The Saints are a major tourist attraction that could revitalize the local economy for a long time if they won." Before providing details, determine whether the prompt is asking you for your individual perspective or for a factual answer. Once this is decided, the details you choose to share should be true to form. If the question is asking you for your opinion, and the option to conduct necessary research is not available (as is the case in the sample above), it is wiser to base your answer in information that is well known or can be reasonably concluded than to base your answer in uncertain and highly specific details. In other words, go with what you know. Observe that the sample takes a very specific route of response: economics. The person answering, then, is more than likely more familiar with issues surrounding economics than player statistics.

5. Sum up your answer. Restate your thought in a single statement or two. For example, "The city needs the Saints to win the Super Bowl to put it back on track."

References

• Brave New Traveler: 13 Simple Journalist Techniques for Effective Interviews
• Boston University Ed 101: Steps to Answering Open Response Questions
• Educatoral.com: Reading Strategies