Purpose: To quickly and graphically demonstrate the limitations of closed-ended questions.

 Time Required: 15 minutes.

 Size of Group: Unlimited.

 Materials Required: A list of characters, prepared in advance by the trainer; name tags.

 The Exercise in Action: Many types of training emphasizes the importance of asking cogent questions to elicit the kind of information you are seeking from others. Cheryl Carter, an employee relations specialist at Philip Morris U.S.A., uses the following exercise to demonstrate the limitations of closed-ended questions:

Carter develops a list of characters based on popular figures as diverse as Woody Woodpecker, John F. Kennedy, and Cinderella. She writes one name per name tag, enough for the class.

She then places a tag on each participant’s back and allows participants five to seven minutes to find out what their new identity is. The ground rules:

1.    You can only ask questions that require a yes or no answer.

2.    You must ask at least five different people a different question.

Once time is up, Carter reconvenes the group, discovers who has guessed correctly, and has participants share what types of questions they used to arrive at that information.