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are five major techniques to probe other people.
One of the most powerful ways of probing is to
ask an open question, such as:
· “Can you elaborate that with more detail?”
· “Can you tell me about a specific example
of that?”
But to overuse this ‘open ended question’
technique can lead the interviewee to feel they
are under interrogation.
The second technique
is to ask a Mirroring Question.
For example, the interviewee has just said,
“What I really want is a more demanding role
on the organization,”
and you could reply by mirroring the key phrase
back to them,
“Demanding?”
The mirror technique usually provides you with
an expanded answer without you appearing to ask
more questions. It signifies your intent to
understand the sender’s thoughts properly.
It is best used in conjunction with a pause,
our next technique.
Pause Technique:
The third technique that is the very effective
in probing is the ‘ on-purpose pause ‘ method.
Stop talking. Let the other person speak; let them
fill the silence.
A fourth technique is
to paraphrasing what has been said.
This is particularly useful to make certain
you are clear about what the individual has said.
You can use this technique to demonstrate that
you want to be certain you clearly have understood
what has just been said.
The final technique is the ‘summing
up’
question.
Here you will sum up your understanding of what
has been said and what the position now is.
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