“How do open-ended questions improve interpersonal communication?”

TL;DR: They do not.
 
Let’s explore a common #communication assumption about & #39;open& #39; and & #39;closed& #39; questions with some data to see what they look like, and what they do, in real interaction.
 
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2. Google "open and closed questions” and you’ll find loads of articles and (often written or hypothetical) examples about them - tweet 1 is just one of many.

As @d_galasinski pondered recently: “I wonder who is responsible for fetishising open questions.”
3. When we examine questions as they are actually used - ‘in the wild’ - we find that yes/no (‘closed’) questions routinely receive more than ‘yes/no’ in response.

And just because a question is ‘open’ doesn’t mean it& #39;ll be answered.

Let’s see some examples.
4. Here& #39;s another example from a group of friends chatting.

[ #EMCA researchers use the & #39;Jefferson& #39; system for transcription - to find out more, see @alexahepburn @BoldenGalina& #39;s book & #39;Transcribing for Social Research& #39;.]
5. Just saying & #39;yes& #39; or & #39;no& #39; - even when the question requires & #39;yes& #39; or & #39;no& #39; - can even seem a bit rude ...
6. Here& #39;s an example from a first date. The couple has been talking about what they like in a partner.

If someone answers an & #39;open& #39; (& #39;wh-& #39;) question with a a closed response (line 11), perhaps the date isn& #39;t going well... https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😬" title="Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht">
7. Why do people so regularly give more than a & #39;closed& #39; response to an apparently & #39;closed& #39; question?

When we look at real talk, rather than imagine talk, it seems pretty ordinary to do so (as in this example from research with @S_Parslow @MFlinkfeldt)
8. In response to a & #39;closed& #39; question from the patient, the #GP receptionist doesn’t just say ‘no’.

Her response conveys ‘no’ while ALSO providing an account for not saying ‘yes’ (as in this example from research with @rein_ove @symondsjon) - because the question is a request.
9. Here& #39;s an example of rapidly repeated responses to a & #39;closed& #39; question - again, doing more than required and doing it early (it& #39;s from a study of antenatal consultations conducted with @MagnusHamann @DoctorDot2 @jayne_wagstaff)
10. Here& #39;s an elaborate & #39;no& #39;.
11. In this example, the cafe staff apparently doesn& #39;t understand that people make requests by asking a yes/no closed question https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Denkendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Denkendes Gesicht">
12. Of course, there are always survey questions, where responses can be constrained by the design of the form, like in these examples from my friends @typeform
13. Politicians often resist answering & #39;closed& #39; questions, like this famous example from 1997 in which Jeremy Paxman asks Michael Howard the same yes/no question - "Did you threaten to overrule him?” - 14 times https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Denkendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Denkendes Gesicht">

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqU77I40mS0">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
14. Since #LineOfDuty is back, it& #39;s timely to also show that some questions will not be answered no matter what the design of the question.
15. Here’s an article by @LucasSeuren & Mike Huiskes showing how ‘very closed’ questions readily get & #39;open& #39; long answers.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08351813.2017.1301307">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
16. "When yes is not enough":

An article by @JakobSteensig & Trine Heinemann shows that “certain actions, which are carried out as yes/no questions, demand a response unit that consists of ‘yes’ plus an elaboration.”
17. Finally, grammar and question design can save lives, as this call to 911 shows.

The dispatcher asks & #39;yes/no& #39; questions to enable the caller to get emergency help without asking for it.
18. In sum:

Questions are vehicles for different actions. They are always embedded a sequence. They& #39;re not simply & #39;open& #39; or & #39;closed& #39;.

To read more research on naturally occurring interaction, visit http://emcawiki.net/EMCA_bibliography_database

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