To be a really great meeting facilitator you need to stop giving answers in meetings and instead start asking questions – the right kind of questions.

Question types:

• Closed – the answer is yes, no or maybe- “Do you …?”, “Are we …?” “Have they …?”

– Use them to confirm/check information or get a quick answer

• Open – they demand a longer more detailed answer- “Who …, What …, Where …, When …, Why…, How …?”

– Use them to get personal opinions and more detailed information

Great facilitators and leaders ask a lot of open questions. Even if they already have a lot of the ‘answer’ the right question at the right time will give them 5% more information which can lead to new ideas, new direction, product and service innovation and ultimately profit.