Questions should be asked. How to write questions in English? Algorithm for compiling English questions

We have already talked to you. Let's talk about the construction of interrogative sentences in English language. The construction of interrogative sentences important topic in English grammar. Wherever we live, our speech consists of questions and answers. Interrogative sentences, of course, in any language imply interrogative intonation. It is this means that serves to create questions in the Russian language. But in English, unfortunately, one intonation is indispensable!

The purpose of the interrogative sentence is to obtain additional information from the interlocutor or confirmation / denial of the question itself.

What did you begin to learn last year? — English. (What did you start studying last year? - English.)
Do you like studying? − Yes, I do. (Do you like studying? - Yes.)

The interrogative sentence and the answer to it form a certain semantic and grammatical unity. The answer largely depends on the form of the interrogative sentence. Before you proceed directly to the construction of interrogative sentences, I want to draw your attention to the fact that in English there are ready-made samples (types) of questions and answers to them. And the material below is a kind of introductory lesson before studying the following topics:

Question to the subject and its definition in English

Five Types of English Questions

Interrogative sentences in English differ from narrative sentences in their construction. Most of them are characterized by inversion, that is, the reverse word order (part of the predicate is placed before the subject, and not vice versa). In some cases, the auxiliary verb to do is used. In a letter, at the end of all interrogative sentences, a special punctuation mark is placed - a question mark.

Questions expressed only by intonation in English (You were there yesterday?) Are used only in familiar address.

Formation of interrogative sentences

According to the method of formation and construction, all interrogative sentences can be divided into three main types:

Type I (Inversion without auxiliary verb)

The predicate in the interrogative sentence contains the verbs to be, to have (if they act as semantic), modal verbs (can, must, should, may, ought) or auxiliary verbs (shall, will, should, would). Such questions are formed using inversion and do not require the use of the auxiliary verb to do. The semantic verb to be, to have, the auxiliary or modal verb is placed in the first place before the subject, and the rest of the predicate remains in its place after the subject. In the case of semantic verbs to be, to have (predicates) in Present Simple and Past Simple, the subject will immediately be followed by secondary members of the sentence (additions, circumstances). If there are several auxiliary verbs, then only the first one is taken out. When there is a question word in an interrogative sentence, it is always placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Type I Interrogative Sentence Construction

question word	Auxiliary, modal verb or verbs to be, to have	Subject	The rest of the predicate	Secondary members of the sentence
	Will	you	go	there tomorrow?
What	are	you	doing	here George?
	have	you	finished	your composition?
When	can	you	come?
	May	I	ask	you a question?
Where	are	you,		Mary?
	have	you		any books on English literature?
	Is	your father		in Moscow?

1. When the predicate is expressed by the turnover there is / are (was / were), the verb to be is placed before the word there, and the subject remains after it.

Is there any time left?
Are there many songs in your playlist?
Was there a meeting after the concert?

2. If the verb to have is part of a phrasal predicate (to have breakfast, to have a rest) or is used in a modal sense, then the interrogative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to do according to type II.

When do we have breakfast?
What time do you have to be there?

in the American English verb have in all cases forms interrogative sentences with the help of the verb to do.

Do you have red pencils?
(Compare with British: Have you red pencils?)
How many brothers do you have?
(Compare with British: How many brothers have you?)

Type II (Using an Auxiliary Verb)

The predicate does not contain the verbs to be, to have, auxiliary, and modal verbs (except for to have). Such interrogative sentences are formed using the auxiliary verb to do. AT this case the predicate is any semantic verb (except to be and to have) in Present Simple or Past Simple. When forming interrogative sentences, the verb to do is used in the appropriate tense, person and number (in Past Simple - did, in Present Simple for the 3rd person singular - does, for the rest - do). It is placed before the subject, and the main verb in the infinitive form is placed after the subject. If the sentence contains a question word, it takes its place at the beginning of the sentence.

Construction of type II interrogative sentences

Example of a type II interrogative sentence

Type III (direct word order)

The interrogative word in a sentence is the subject (who, what) or its definition. Such interrogative sentences are formed without inversion and without the auxiliary verb to do, regardless of the composition of the predicate. The interrogative word, which performs the function of the subject, is followed by the predicate, and after it, the rest of the sentence. That is, the word order is preserved.

Construction of type III interrogative sentences

I want to note that this article presents generalized schemes for constructing questions in English. According to the nature of the question and the required answer in English, it is customary to distinguish five main types of questions that were listed at the beginning of the article. Each type has a number of features that are covered in the relevant articles on our website. But, nevertheless, the tables proposed above can serve as the basis for constructing interrogative sentences in English. Learn English with pleasure! I wish you success!

A question that requires a YES or NO answer. In our case - "Do they go to Sochi every summer? - Yes. - No."
In Russian, to ask this question, we simply change the intonation, but the word order remains the same.
In English, to ask a general question, you need to put the auxiliary verb in the first place in the sentence.

So, we look at our proposal and determine the time. present simple. The auxiliary verbs of this tense are "do" and "does". For the pronoun "they" - "do".

We get: "Do they go to Sochi every summer?"
Answer: "Yes, they do" - "Yes." "No, they don't" - "No."

Note! There are "strong verbs" in English that do not require an auxiliary verb. These are almost all modal verbs ("can", "may", "must", etc.) and the verb "to be" (or rather its forms).

2) Alternative question. Alternative Question

A question of choice. Let me show you with our example: "DO THEY or WE go to Sochi every summer?", "Do they GO or FLY to Sochi every summer?", "Do they go to Sochi or Murmansk every summer?", "Do they go to Sochi every SUMMER or WINTER?"

Conclusion: we can give an alternative to each member of the sentence. In this case, we always use the union "or" - "or". Remember it!

To summarize. To ask an alternative question, we bring forward the auxiliary verb (as in a general question) and do not forget to ask an alternative to any member of the sentence using the union "or".

We get: "Do we or they go to Sochi every summer?"
or: "Do they go to Sochi or Murmansk every summer?"

3) A dividing question. Tag-question

A question with a "tail")) We translate the tail "Isn't it?"
A disjunctive question is constructed according to the following formula:

our sentence unchanged + comma + tail?

What is this ponytail? It consists of 2 words: an auxiliary verb and a pronoun.

Let me explain with our example:
"They go to Sochi every summer."

First of all, you need to accurately determine the time .. In our case - Present Simple .. auxiliary verbs "Do" / "Does .. "They" - "Do". We look again at our proposal and determine whether it is negative or affirmative .. Affirmative - it means that our tail will be negative! If the sentence were negative, the auxiliary verb would become positive, i.e. without the negative particle "not".

We complete our sentence with the pronoun from the 1st part - "they". Attention! If in the first part of the sentence the subject is a noun, we replace it with a pronoun (for example, "a table" - "it", "books" - "they", "Mom" - "she").

They go to Sochi every summer, don't they?
(They go to Sochi every summer, don't they?)

Note! If "I am" acts as the subject and predicate, we write "...., aren" t I?"

4) Special question. Special Question

A question in which the speaker asks for specific information. ("Where do they go every summer?", "Who goes to Sochi every summer?", "When do they go to Sochi?").

A special question is often referred to as a "Wh-Question". This is due to the fact that almost all question words begin with the letter combination "Wh".

For example:
what? - what? which?
where? - where? where?
why? - why?
which? - which the?
who? - who?
how? - how?
when? - when?

Special question formula:
Interrogative words + general question?

"Where do they go to every summer?"
"When do they go to Sochi?"

Special question to the subject.
"Who goes to Sochi every summer?"

We will consider this kind of special question separately, since it has a different structure:

Who / What + rewrite the sentence without the subject.

Attention!!! Most importantly - Who / what - 3rd person, singular! Do you remember that in Present Simple, in this case, the ending "-s / -es" is added to the verb!

We get: "Who goes to Sochi every summer?"

An important component communicative communication is ability to ask questions.

Questions are a way to get information and at the same time a way to switch the thoughts of the person with whom you are talking in the right direction (who asks questions controls the conversation).

By asking questions, we build a bridge into the unknown and the uncertain. And since uncertainty and uncertainty is feature In today's rapidly changing world, the development of the ability to ask questions is very relevant.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding, I misunderstood you” is a phrase that can often be heard in a conversation between people. So, so that you do not have to pronounce it, learn how to ask questions correctly. The right question, allowing you to find out the intentions of the partner, helps to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. After all, sometimes, neglecting the opportunity to ask a question, or not asking it in right time, we open the way to conjectures and conjectures, various speculative constructions, create a wrong impression of others, attributing to them non-existent qualities, advantages and disadvantages, which often leads to misunderstandings and conflicts.

Whoever you are, a leader or an ordinary manager, a coach or a psychologist, in any sphere of life you will need the ability to ask questions correctly. In any conversation, whether business or personal, the right questions help:

Show interest in the personality of the partner and interlocutor;
Ensure “interpenetration”, that is, make your system of values understandable to the interlocutor, while clarifying his system;
Get information, express doubts, show your own position, show trust, be interested in what has been said, show indulgence and show that you are ready to give the conversation the necessary time;
To intercept and keep the initiative in communication;
Transfer the conversation to another topic;
Move from the interlocutor's monologue to a dialogue with him.

To learn how to ask questions correctly, you need to pay attention to the correct construction of the internal dialogue and study the main types of questions in the external dialogue.

INTERNAL DIALOGUE(questions to oneself) organizes our own thinking and helps us formulate thoughts. The relevance and quality, the accuracy and the consistency of the questions that arise in our minds, to a large extent affect the effectiveness of most of the actions we take.

In order to organize an internal dialogue, one must understand that its purpose is to analyze any of the problems. A set of relevant questions will help to comprehensively analyze any problem (situation). There are two options for questions.

The first option is the seven classic questions:

What? Where? When? Who? How? Why? By what means?

These seven questions allow you to cover the entire problem situation and make its verbal-logical analysis.

The second option for analyzing the situation is a set of six questions:

Facts - What are the facts and events relevant to the situation in question?
Feelings - How do I generally feel about this situation? How are others supposed to feel?
Desires - What do I really want? What do others want?
Obstacles - What's stopping me? What hinders others?
Time - What and when to do?
Tools - What tools do I have to solve this problem? What resources do others have?

Use either of the two options when organizing an internal dialogue. When a problem arises, analyze the situation with the help of questions to yourself, bring your thoughts to clarity, and only then begin to act.

Importance and significance EXTERNAL DIALOGUE, consists in the right questions which is much better than a monotonous monologue. After all, the one who asks is the leader in the conversation. Also, with the help of questions, we show the interlocutor our interest in the conversation and in its deepening. By asking, we express to the person the desire to establish a good relationship with him. But all this happens when the conversation does not resemble and does not look like an interrogation.

Therefore, before starting a conversation or a business conversation, prepare a series of questions for the interlocutor, and ask them as soon as you move on to the business part of the conversation (in a normal conversation, as soon as you touch on the topic you need). So, you will provide yourself with a psychological advantage.

External dialogue questions can be posed in specific forms and can be of the following types:

Closed questions. The purpose of closed questions is to obtain an unequivocal answer (consent or refusal of the interlocutor), “yes” or “no”. Such questions are good only when it is necessary to clearly and clearly identify the presence of something in the present, past, and sometimes in the future (“Do you use this?”, “Did you use this?”, “Would you like to try?”), or attitude to something (“Did you like it?”, “Does it suit you?”), To understand how to proceed further. Closed questions (and yes or no answers to them) shift our efforts in a certain direction.

You should not immediately push a person by asking such questions to the final decision. Remember that it is easier to convince than to convince.

Another thing is when you deliberately ask a closed question, which is difficult to answer with a negative. For example, referring to generally recognized values (Socrates often used a similar method): “Agree, life does not stand still?”, “Tell me, is quality and guarantees important to you?”. Why this is done: the more often a person agrees with us, the wider the zone of mutual understanding (this is one of ways to manipulate). And vice versa, if you can't pick up right question, and often hear "no" in response to leading questions, increases the likelihood of rejecting your offer as a whole. Therefore, achieve agreement in small things, do not start a conversation with contradictions, then it will be easier to achieve the desired result.

Open questions. They do not imply an unequivocal answer, they make a person think, they better reveal his attitude to your proposal. Open questions are a good way to get new, detailed information that is very difficult to get with closed questions. Therefore, in a conversation it is necessary to use open-ended questions more often, in their various variations.

Ask for facts that will help you understand the situation: “What is there?”, “How much?”, “How is it solved?”, “Who?” etc.

Find out the interests of your interlocutor and the conditions for their satisfaction.

Find out the attitude of your interlocutor to the situation under discussion: “What do you think about this?”, “How do you feel about this?”.

Suggest in the form of questions, a different (your) solution to the problem: “Can we do this ..?”, “Why don’t we pay attention to such and such an option ..?”, while arguing your proposal. This is much better than openly saying: "I suggest ...", "Let's do it this way ...", "I think ...".

Be interested in what the statement of your interlocutor is based on: “What do you proceed from?”, “Why exactly?”, “What is the reason for this?”.

Clarify everything that is unclear to you: “What (how) exactly?”, “What exactly ..?”, “Because of what?”.

Find out the unaccounted for points, both personal and business: “What did we forget?”, “What issue did we not discuss?”, “What is missing?”,

If there are doubts, specify their reasons: “What is stopping you?”, “What worries you (does not suit you)?”, “What is the reason for the doubts?”, “Why is this unrealistic?”.

Characteristic features of open questions:

Activation of the interlocutor, such questions make him think about the answers and express them;
The partner, at his own discretion, chooses what information and arguments to present to us;
With an open question, we bring the interlocutor out of the state of restraint and isolation and eliminate possible barriers in communication;
The partner becomes a source of information, ideas and suggestions.

Since, when answering open questions, the interlocutor has the opportunity to avoid a specific answer, divert the conversation or share only information that is beneficial to him, it is recommended to ask basic and secondary, clarifying and leading questions.

Main questions- are planned in advance, can be both open and closed.

Secondary or follow-up questions- spontaneous or planned, they are set to clarify the answers to the main questions that have already been given.

Clarifying questions require short and concise answers. They are asked in case of doubt to clarify the nuances. People are almost always willing to delve into the details and nuances of their affairs, so there is no problem here. Unless we ourselves often neglect to ask clarifying questions, while our interlocutors only expect this from us in order to make sure that we understand everything correctly. Don't be shy and don't forget to ask clarifying questions!

Suggestive questions these are questions that make a certain answer obvious in terms of content, i.e. formulated in such a way as to tell the person what he should say. It is recommended to ask leading questions when you are dealing with timid and indecisive people, to summarize the conversation, or if the interlocutor started talking and you need to return the conversation to the right (business) track, or if you need to confirm the correctness of your judgment (belief in the profitability of your offer) .

Leading questions sound extremely intrusive. They almost force the interlocutor to recognize the correctness of your judgments and agree with you. Therefore, they must be used with extreme caution.

In order to know how to ask the right questions, one must have an idea of the various types of these questions. The use of questions of all kinds in business and personal conversations allows you to achieve various goals. Let's look at the main types of questions:

Rhetorical questions are set in order to evoke the desired reaction in people (enlist support, focus attention, point out unresolved problems) and do not require a direct answer. Such questions also enhance the character and feelings in the speaker's sentence, making the text richer and more emotional. Example: “When, finally, will people learn to understand each other?”, “Is it possible to consider what happened as a normal phenomenon?”.

Rhetorical questions should be formulated in such a way that they sound short and concise, relevant and understandable. Approval and understanding here is - silence in response.

provocative questions are set in order to cause a storm of emotions in the interlocutor (opponent), so that a person, in a fit of passion, gives out hidden information, blurts out something superfluous. Provocative questions are pure water manipulative influence but it is sometimes necessary for the good of the cause. Just do not forget, before asking such a question, calculate all the risks associated with it. After all, by asking provocative questions you are somewhat challenging.

Confusing Questions transfer attention to the area of interest of the questioner, which lies away from the main direction of the conversation. Such questions are asked either unintentionally (if you are interested in the topic of conversation, you should not ask about things that have nothing to do with it) or deliberately because of the desire to solve some of your own problems, to direct the conversation in the direction you need. If, to your confusing question, the interlocutor suggests that you not be distracted from the topic under discussion, do so, but at the same time note that you want to consider and discuss the topic you have stated at another time.

Also, confusing questions are asked to simply get away from the topic of conversation, either because it is not interesting (if you value communication with this person, you should not do this), or it is inconvenient.

relay questions- are aimed at being ahead of the curve and require the ability to grasp the partner's remarks on the fly and provoke him to further reveal his position. For example: “Do you mean by this what? ..”.

Questions to demonstrate your knowledge. Their goal is to show off their own erudition and competence in front of other participants in the conversation, to earn the respect of a partner. This is some form of self-affirmation. When asking such questions, one must be really, and not superficially competent. Because you yourself may be asked to give a detailed answer to your own question.

mirror question contains part of the statement uttered by the interlocutor. It is set so that a person sees his statement from the other side, this helps to optimize the dialogue, give it genuine meaning and openness. For example, for the phrase " Don't ever give me this again!", the question follows -" Not instruct you? Is there anyone else who could do this just as well?»

The question "Why?" used in this case would cause a defensive reaction, in the form of excuses, excuses and the search for imaginary reasons, and could even end in accusations and lead to conflict. The mirror question gives a much better result.

Alternative question Asked in the form of an open question, but contains several answers. For example: “Why did you choose the profession of an engineer: did you consciously follow in the footsteps of your parents or decided to enter the campaign, together with a friend, or maybe you yourself don’t know why?”. Alternative questions are asked to activate a taciturn interlocutor.

The question that fills the silence. good right question you can fill an awkward pause that sometimes occurs in a conversation.

soothing questions have a noticeable calming effect in difficult situations. You should be familiar with them if you have small children. If they are upset about something, you can distract and calm them down by asking a few questions. This technique works immediately, because you have to answer questions, thereby being distracted. In the same way, you can calm an adult.

Assumes compliance with the following rules:

Brevity is the soul of wit. The question should be short, clear and to the point. This increases the likelihood of a response. When you start complex, lengthy discussions, go far from the topic, you can generally forget what exactly you wanted to ask. And your interlocutor, while you state your question for five minutes, puzzles over what exactly you want to ask him. And it may happen that the question remains unheard or misunderstood. If you really want to go from afar, let the explanation (prehistory) sound first, and then a clear and short question.

So that the interlocutor, after your questions, does not have the feeling that he is under interrogation, soften them by intonation. The tone of your question should not show that you are demanding an answer (of course, if this is not a situation where you have no other choice), it should sound casual. Sometimes it will be right to ask the person you are talking to, ask permission - "Can I ask you a few questions to clarify?"

The ability to ask questions is inextricably linked with the ability to listen to the interlocutor. People are very responsive to those who listen to them carefully. And they will treat your question with the same degree of care. It is also important not only to show your culture and interest, but also not to miss information that may serve as a pretext for clarifying questions or for correcting what has already been prepared.

Most people, for various reasons, are not ready to answer direct questions (someone has difficulty in presenting, and someone is afraid to convey incorrect information, some do not know the subject well enough, others are limited by personal or corporate ethics, the reason may be restraint or shyness, etc. . P.). In order for a person to give you an answer no matter what, you need to interest him, explain to him that answering your questions is in his interests.

Do not ask a question that begins with the words: “How could you…?” or “Why don’t you…?”. right question this is a request for information, but not as a hidden charge. When the situation requires expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of a partner, it is better to firmly but tactfully tell him about it in an affirmative form, and not in the form of a question.

So, knowing how to ask the right questions, you can get the (professional) information you need from the interlocutor, understand and get to know him better, find out his position and motives for actions, make relations with him more sincere and trusting (friendly), activate further cooperation, as well as discover weaknesses and give him the opportunity to understand what he is mistaken about. It is understandable why psychologists often talk about art, and not about ability to ask questions.

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To express one's thought in any language, an affirmation, a negation, an exclamation, or a question are used. The last kind of sentences is of particular interest, since interrogative sentences or interrogative sentences are divided into five types of questions. These types of questions in English are of great importance, so not knowing them will cause a lot of problems in trying to establish contact with a native speaker. In order to avoid such a problem, we will consider all types of questions in English using examples.

Interrogative sentences are necessary to obtain the necessary information, which may concern both the object or action itself, and additional details about this object (its characteristics) or action (time, place, method of its commission). For all these purposes, there are the following 5 types of questions in English.

General Question or General Question

General Question or General question in English is a question that can be answered with the words “yes” or “no”. Such a question is called general, because it is impossible to obtain any detailed information with the help of it.

General questions in English do not need to use an interrogative word, the question is built solely on an auxiliary verb, which can change depending on time and number. Difficulties with how to ask a general question are rare, because this type occurs all the time. General questions are built in English according to the following scheme:

The auxiliary verb for the general question is the verb do, which, as mentioned earlier, has past and present forms. To form this type of question with do, you just need to take an affirmative sentence and put an auxiliary verb in front of it.

However, if in the affirmative sentence of the present tense the subject implies the 3rd person in the singular or is expressed by the pronouns it, she, he, and the verb ends in -s, this ending goes to the auxiliary verb, turning do into do es .

An auxiliary verb can be expressed by the verb to be:

Modal verbs can also be used as auxiliary verbs. Here is some of them:

The exception is the modal verbs have to, used to, need to. To form general questions with them, the auxiliary verb do is required:

To form a question with Perfect tenses, the verb have comes first. If there are two auxiliary verbs in the sentence, only the first one is put before the subject for the question:

There are two answers to the General Question type:

Because of this limited choice of answers, this type of question is also called Yes/No Question. In negative answers, the auxiliary verb and the particle, as a rule, merge.

A couple more examples of this type:

Alternative question or Alternative question

Alternative question or Alternative question - a question that offers a choice (alternative) of objects / persons / qualities / actions. Its main feature is the presence of the union or (or). You can ask a question to any member of the sentence.

If you figured out how to ask a general question in English, it will not cause you any difficulties, since it is built in the same way, only in its composition it has options for choosing with a union.

Did Mary send me the message, or did Helen? (Mary or Helen sent me a message?)	Question to the subject
Should they walk or run? (Do they have to walk or run?)	Question to the predicate
Do you prefer tea or coffee? (Do you prefer tea or coffee?)	Question for addition
Do we have homework in Math or English? (Were we asked anything in math or English?)	Question for addition
Are you sad or just tired? (Are you sad or just tired?)	question for definition
Is it warmer here or there? (Is it warmer here or there?)	Question about the circumstance of the place
Does she have a birthday in June or July? (Is her birthday in June or July?)	Question about the circumstance of time

If the question is about the subject, then the second subject is also preceded by a modal verb.

Answering such questions with a simple “yes” or “no” will not work, so the answer must be complete.

Special Question or Special Question

Special Question or Special question in English - a question that needs a detailed answer. Special questions in English are used to obtain additional information and always include a question word.

To build special interrogative sentences in English, the following scheme is used:

Interrogative words include:

what - what	What is love? (What is love?)
why - why	Why do you always run away from problems? (Why are you always running from problems?)
where	Where are you going to give the money? (Where are you going to give the money?)
when - when	When will the number of votes be known?
how - how	How are you going to justify yourself? (How are you going to make excuses?)
whose - whose	Whose idea was this? (Whose idea was it?)
whom - to whom / with whom / whom	Whom are you looking for? (Who are you looking for?)
which - what	Which toy do you want? (Which toy do you want?)

The interrogative word who (who) can be used in special questions for the future tense or in the passive voice.

Instead of separate question words can be used interrogative phrases. There are a lot of them in English, so let's look at how to make sentences with only a few of them:

Note that many question words begin with letters wh, therefore this type of sentence is also known as WH Questions.

Unlike alternative questions, in which the answer is already hidden and it remains only to make a choice, the type of special questions requires a detailed “independent” answer.

Who Question or Question to the subject

Who Question or Question to the subject - a question that does not require an auxiliary verb. This type is formed by the interrogative words who (who) and what (what).

You need to compose questions to the subject in the following way:

To make it easier to figure out how to ask this question, it is enough to come up with an affirmative sentence and replace the subject with an interrogative word in it. Since interrogative words imply 3rd person singular, remember to attach the -s ending to verbs and use the appropriate form of the verb to be (is and was).

Disjunctive Question or Disjunctive Question

Disjunctive Question or Disjunctive question - a question that is used to test assumptions, dispel doubts or mock. This type is very popular because, using it, the speaker does not ask a question directly.

If the 4 types of questions mentioned above in English began with an interrogative word or an auxiliary verb, this one begins with the subject. Such questions consist of two parts, which are separated by a comma, hence the name.

The first part of the question consists of an affirmative or negative sentence. The second part is attached to the sentence, consisting of an auxiliary or modal verb with a pronoun. Accordingly, the question itself is hidden in the second part, which can be translated into Russian as “isn’t it?”, “Isn’t it?”, “is it so?”.

Such a short question in English is called "tag", and the type of questions itself is sometimes called Tag Questions. An alternative name for this type is Tail Questions, in which a short answer at the end is compared to a tail.

To build such proposals, the following table is used with two methods:

It is important to note that the same verb is used in the second part as in the first. In a short negative question, the verb and particle not merge.

Consider examples:

1st way
Do you like her, don't you?	You like her, don't you?
We will reach the goal, won't we?	We will reach the goal, right?
Gagarin was the first human flew into space, wasn't he?	Gagarin was the first man to fly into space, wasn't he?
I did a mistake that day, didn't I?	I made a mistake that day, didn't I?
You remember the main motions, don't you?	You remember the basic moves, don't you?
2nd way
I didn't kiss her yesterday at the party, did I?	I didn't kiss her at the party yesterday, did I?
You're not going to get in my way, are you?	You're not going to get in my way, are you?
You aren't serious now, are you?	You're not serious right now, are you?

However, this type of question has its own pitfalls to consider:

When such a question is formed with the pronoun I (I), a short answer will be given general rule, while a short negative answer would use the verb are with not ;

When using the verb have, there are two possibilities, depending on which language you prefer: British or American English;

If there are two auxiliary verbs in the sentence, the first one is used in the second part;

If in the main part with a verb without negation there are words that imply this negation, the second part will be positive. These words include: nothing (nothing), no one (no one), nobody (no one), never (never), hardly (barely), barely (barely), rarely (rarely), seldom (rarely);

If the sentence in the first part begins with Let's (Let us), then in the second part it is necessary to put “shall we”;

There are cases when dividing questions can also be used with sentences in the imperative mood. In such cases, can, can't, will, would are used for orders and requests in the second part, and won't for invitations;

If you are already completely confused with this kind of sentence, there is one win-win option for the verbs to be and have in the present tense - “ain’t”. This negation is universal as it replaces all other possible options. Now this negation is sometimes found with the verb do.

However, you need to use this method in moderation; for formal meetings, such a design is not suitable, in order to write an essay too. Therefore, if difficulties still arise, try doing exercises on disjunctive questions and compose your own examples.

Briefly answer the disjunctive questions:

If other types of English questions are also in your development stage, you can use another tricky trick - interrogative intonation. Even if such a method is not grammatically acceptable, you will be understood and answered.

These were all 5 types of questions in English. As you can see, there are relatively many ways to form them. You may prefer and use certain types more often, since, for example, for situations in Everyday life general and specific questions are the most common, but knowing all the possible types will definitely not hurt you, making it much easier to understand the language. And the last tip for today: do not be afraid to ask questions, because thanks to them, communication begins, and therefore practice.

You will learn:

How to ask questions to get the right answers.
What questions to ask to increase sales.
How not to ask questions.
What questions help foreign companies to hire effective employees.
How to use the tactics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the investigative committee of asking questions to identify a liar at an interview.

If a person actively supports the conversation, is not limited to neutral phrases, he seems supportive, interested in communication. For failed communication, we usually blame the interlocutor. Few people think about whether they themselves asked the right questions in order to achieve mutual understanding.

How to ask the right questions to get meaningful answers

Fairy tales from childhood teach the importance of clearly articulating desires. Growing up, we laugh at jokes in which funny situations arise due to the inability of the characters to ask the right questions.

The head of a large company went to the forest for mushrooms. He drove to the forest in a car, left it on the side of the road and went deeper into the forest. There he walked for a long time, but after wandering for about six hours, he realized that he was lost and could not find his way to the car. On the bank of a stream, under a tall pine tree, he saw a comfortable stump and sat down on it to rest. After some time, another mushroom picker came out to the place where he was sitting. The lost one rejoiced and asked him:

- Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?

Looking at him carefully, the mushroom picker replied:

- You are in the forest, on the bank of the stream. You are sitting on a stump under a tall pine tree.

- You must be a counseling psychologist! - said the lost one.

- Wow! How did you know? - asked a passerby.

- Everything you said, I knew before you. Your answer is technically correct, but completely useless, and in fact I still don't know how to get out to my car.

- Ahh, well, you must be the president of a large company! The consultant smiled.

- Exactly! And how did you guess?

- Follow the thought: you see perfectly where you are, and yet you do not know where you are, and you ask about it, although you yourself know the answer that you will hear. You don't know where to go next, but you just don't ask about it. In reality, you are in exactly the same position as before we met, but now you have turned your problem into my mistake and are blaming me!

Exaggerated, but good example when an adequate answer did not contain any useful information due to the incorrect formulation of the question.

Professional achievements in areas that involve active interaction with people directly depend on the ability to ask questions competently. Career growth and success in business are achieved by those who have advanced communication skills and constantly improve them. In social life, this is also indispensable. When you ask a passer-by for directions, you are more likely to get to your destination if you ask the right questions.

There are several types of questions. Below we will describe in detail about the main ones: closed and open.

1. Closed questions:Who? When? Where? Which the?

Closed questions involve the choice of a specific answer, consisting of one word or phrase. Such constructions limit the interlocutor within the framework of providing information about himself, but do not allow him to reveal his opinion.

“Did additional training in courses help you find a job?”

"Do you know Spanish?"

"Did you participate in sales training?"

Answers do not require long preparation or reflection, it all depends on the degree of frankness and the desire to provide reliable information about yourself.

At the beginning of the conversation, you need to ask closed questions in order to form a first impression based on the data received and build a further conversation strategy. With their help, the general mood of a person for active interaction is also checked.

Questionnaires, surveys, testing allow the use of only closed questions. If your goal is a lively dialogue, then you should not get carried away with them. At best, you will get a set of dry facts, at worst - irritation, boredom, unwillingness to waste time on you on the part of the interlocutor.

2. Open questions:How? Why? What for? How? Tell about ..., Explain ... and the like.

Alternating closed and open questions will help to establish contact, move on to an interesting confidential conversation.

Open-ended questions require a detailed answer consisting of several phrases or sentences. A person thinks about the answer, expresses his own point of view on a given topic, shows an emotional reaction.

The desire to tell about ourselves is inherent in most of us at the subconscious level, it is no coincidence that social networks, blogs, instant messengers are so popular. Starting to ask open-ended questions, you stimulate the thirst for self-presentation, help the interlocutor open up, feel a greater degree of comfort.

There are situations when people tend to answer closed questions in detail, without waiting for clarification from you. In such cases, when you start asking additional questions, the answers will be even more detailed and complete, indicating that you are acting correctly and your company is pleasant.

Open-ended questions help guide the dialogue and determine the topic and direction of the conversation. After learning about the interlocutor's recent trip to another country, from a variety of options, you can choose those questions that affect aspects of interest to you. For example: sights, features of life, standard of living, available entertainment.

The ability to ask the right question can sometimes prevent even major conflicts. This is clearly demonstrated by the story told by General Lebed. Alexander Ivanovich in April 1989 commanded the 106th Tula Airborne Division, sent to the capital of Georgia to suppress anti-Soviet speeches. “A crowd gathers in Tbilisi and rumbles: “Here, your paratrooper ran after the old woman for three kilometers and hacked her to death with a shovel! It is written in the Dawn of the East!” I say: "Shall we yell or talk? If you yell, I'm leaving." - "Lets talk". - "Then I have three questions. First: what kind of grandmother was she who could run three kilometers? Second: what kind of paratrooper was she who could not catch up with her grandmother for three kilometers? And the most important question, dear Georgians: how is it among you was there no male warrior who would block the path of this scoundrel?"

Before asking a question, consider whether the answer really matters. Remember the non-verbal component of communication. Your movements, intonation, facial expressions will show an attentive person that the conversation is formal, and the information you asked about is completely unimportant to you.

Dialogue becomes productive only with the mutual interest of the parties involved. Worst of all, when both interlocutors neglect each other. The only outcome of such a conversation will be regret about wasted time.

Practitioner tells

What 5 questions to ask a client to make an order today, and not someday later

Alexey Lutsev, CEO and owner of Alpina72, Tyumen

1. "When to schedule your object?"

The specifics of our work is such that it practically does not provide for unplanned urgent orders. Force majeure in the form of the need to clear the roof of snow or dangerous icicles rarely occurs. Customers most often do not think about planning and turn to us with orders that should have been completed “yesterday”. We used to deal with this all the time. For example, preparations are underway for an important event, and suddenly it turns out that you need to wash windows or chandeliers. The customer begins a frantic search for a company ready to get to work immediately. And our masters work according to the schedule and do not stand idle waiting for applications.

2. "Do you want to avoid risks?" or "Do you want to solve your customers' problems?"

The principle “prepare the sleigh in the summer, and the cart in the winter” has not been canceled. In the summer season, it is better to wash windows and insulate apartments. Snow must be removed in a timely manner, and not during the spring thaw, when snow avalanches and icicles begin to fall on passers-by. We can wash windows in winter, but the cost of work will increase, even with a lower quality of work. This is what we try to convey to our customers.

3. "Would you like us to complete your request within three hours of receiving it?"

We are interested in the customer to conclude a long-term contract, so we talk about the benefits that he will receive in this case.

At the request of clients with whom the contract is concluded, departure is possible within three hours. Because time is no longer wasted on the exchange of details, verification of the counterparty and other formalities.

From regular customers, a simple telephone application is enough.

For regular customers there is a promotion "Alpinist as a gift". We do small but necessary work for the client for free. For example, the prevention of ventilation.

A chocolate bar is attached to each paid invoice under the agreement as a gift.

4. “Do you want to know how else we can help you?”

The building requires constant maintenance and repair. As professionals, we know what to pay attention to, and we explain to the customer what consequences a failure to complete a number of works can lead to. If additional services are included in the application, then we provide a discount of 5 to 10% on total amount accounts. And more often additional services are just a bonus.

5. "What result do you want to get?"

Customers sometimes express their vision of how we should do the work. We may not argue, but we usually know how to save hundreds of thousands of rubles on solving the task. Apart from the experience of our own employees, in difficult cases we can always use the advice of colleagues from other cities and countries. We do not hesitate to ask questions, this is an absolutely normal practice. We have repeatedly applied to the Tyumen Civil Engineering Academy, the Chimney Research Institute.

65% of our customers conclude contracts. They bring 76% of the income. We have been working with some for 20 years. Competitors try to win at the expense of dumping, but our customers prefer to be sure of the quality of services, in which they are already convinced.

Through cold calling, we get 18 appointments, 12 completed appointments, 6 bookings, and 4 return customers for every 100 calls.

The desire to get an order at any cost is fraught with reputational losses. If the customer is in doubt, it is better to refuse to work with him, and not to pursue momentary profit.

How the ability to ask the right questions affects sales growth

Ask a lot of questions, clarify the details, then your meetings with clients will be more productive. “Our research has shown that asking questions, more than any other style of communication, affects sales success,” says Neil Rackham, world-renowned sales coach and consultant. We will explain why the ability to ask is so important for sellers.

Workshop: Do you know how to ask questions?

Turn on the voice recorder briefly during a meeting with a client.
Then listen carefully to the recording. Note every 20 seconds who is talking: the customer or you.
Rate your responses. Note every 20 seconds what this moment you say: ask a question or inform the buyer.

Evaluation of the result.

If you're the one talking more than 50% of the time, your questioning skills are still far from perfect.
If more than 50% of the time you do not ask, but provide information to the client, then you are acting as an "expert" and not listening to the client. This reduces the likelihood of a deal.

Reasons why questions contribute to successful sales:

By answering questions, the buyer actively participates in the conversation. In successful meetings, the client does most of the talking.
Questions help you focus. When there is a need to answer questions, a person is less distracted and less likely to lose the thread of the conversation.
Questions are a form of persuasion. Statements leave doubts because you are giving your point of view, and with the right questions, you will give the client the impression that he himself came to the right conclusion.
If you ask the right questions, you can find out the needs of the buyer in more detail. Without understanding what the customer expects from the purchase, you will not make a unique offer, and the deal will fail.

IMPORTANT!

A need is any desire, need, or intention that a customer intends to satisfy with a product or service. Therefore, in any source and training programs, the correct identification of needs is highlighted as the first important stage of the sale.

How to determine the success of a meeting with a client

There are certain outcomes of a meeting with a client.

Order(obvious success): the buyer enters into a contract, makes a purchase, or clearly shows an intention to do so: verbally negotiates a price and terms.
Progress(there are signs of success): no decision is made during the meeting, but an event occurs that promotes progress towards a deal.

For example:

The buyer agrees to attend a product demonstration.
The client is ready to sample or test the goods.
You get contacts of a decision maker for more high level, or access to units previously unreachable.

Postponement(no clear signs of success): The buyer did not respond with an unequivocal refusal, but does not show any initiative and does not agree to actions that would advance the negotiations.

Standard phrase: "We are satisfied with everything, we will think about it and contact you ourselves when we are ready to make a decision."

Refusal(failure of the meeting): the sale did not take place. The client makes it clear that he is not interested in a second meeting, and does not agree to organize it with the participation of other decision-makers of the company.

IMPORTANT!

The criterion of success is the actions, not the words of the client.

You have incorrectly formulated goals for yourself if you consider meetings that ended in a delay to be successful.

The purpose of the meeting is for the client to take actions aimed at moving towards the conclusion of the transaction.

How to Become Persuasive and Awaken Your Sleeping Leader

What questions should not be asked

1. Too open questions.

Let's illustrate this mistake with an anecdote.

Mice lived in the forest, and they were tired of being offended by everyone. They went for advice to the wisest inhabitant of the forest - the owl.

- Owl, you know everything, help us. What can we do to be left alone and not offended?

Flynn replies:

- Mice, become hedgehogs. Hedgehogs have needles, no one offends them.

Delighted mice ran home. Come and think:

- And how can we turn into hedgehogs?

I had to return to the owl.

- Wise owl, how can we become hedgehogs?

Flynn waved them away.

- This is not a question for me. I am not a tactician, I am a strategist.

Common questions sound something like this: “How are you?”, “Tell us something about yourself”, “What's new?”. It is difficult to count on receiving in response the information for which it was worth asking them. In most cases, they are regarded simply as a way to fill a gap when a person does not know where to start a conversation. There is a well-known joke that only a boring interlocutor to the question "How are you?" starts to really tell how he's doing.

2. Too difficult questions to start a conversation.

If you are well acquainted with the interlocutor, rotate in a single information field, then you can ask difficult questions at any stage of the conversation. If you have to spend time explaining the essence of the issue, then it is better not to start a conversation with it.

3. Suggestive questions.

A leading question is a type of closed question. In fact, it immediately indicates your opinion and provides only the option of agreeing with it.

"Rain on the street. You shouldn't go to the theater in this weather, right?"

"You don't think I'm lying to you, do you?"

“Two workouts a week is enough, right?”

Leading questions are often used as a tool to manipulate the interlocutor. In business life, the ability to ask leading questions can come in handy in order to steer a negotiation in the right direction. Constantly using them in your personal life, you will not achieve understanding with loved ones. Forced consent will cause internal protest, and in the long run will lead to conflicts.

4. Known disagreement.

You find out in detail the opinion and arguments of the interlocutor, with whose point of view you do not agree in advance. Only after that you express your position, depriving your opponent of the opportunity to respond to your considerations.

5. Ill-conceived topic.

The ability to improvise during a conversation is a big plus. People who easily and naturally know how to ask questions without prior preparation are rare. If we are not talking about innate talent, it is usually the result of training, systematic or unconscious study of the rules of communication.

As you gain experience, it will become easier for you to quickly select the right questions as the conversation progresses. To begin with, it is better to think through them in advance, to have home-made preparations. Then in the eyes of a business partner you will look like a competent specialist, and in a friendly company you will feel comfortable.

How the right questions help foreign companies hire strong salespeople

Jobs for sales managers are most often found on hunting resources. Large companies are interested in strong sellers no less than small private enterprises. It is important that the employee not only has sales skills, but also corresponds to the corporate culture of the company, does not create conflict situations in the team, and adequately perceives the plans set.

Finding the right candidate is a major challenge for HR managers and executives. The quality of information about the competencies and personal qualities of the applicant depends on whether the questions were asked correctly at the interview. Well-conducted interviews reduce the risk of miscasting and help build effective teams.

The experience of foreign companies can and should be used in the recruitment process. Below is a list of questions that are usually asked at interviews in Western firms. The list consists of three thematic blocks.

1. Questions about the skills of the applicant.

What are you doing to stay up to date with market news? A detailed answer will show that the candidate knows how to use information resources, even if he came from another area.

Explain something to me. This is more of a task than a question. It will help to identify how structured a person is able to convey a concept or describe the stages of a process.

How much time did you spend building relationships with clients at your previous job? And how much - to search for new customers? Why? The response score depends on the preferences of the company. For some, the ability to work with an existing customer base is important, while others need managers who can quickly find new customers. If a candidate uses one sales tactic at the expense of another, you need to be careful when making a hiring decision.

What questions do you like to ask potential clients? A sales manager is used to handling different types of questions. At a minimum, there should be a few open-ended questions that help identify the needs of a potential buyer.

How do you handle objections? Dealing with objections is an important part of sales. An experienced sales manager prepares in advance for possible objections from customers. The candidate's answer will show whether he has such training.

What is the role of social networks in your work? The times when applicants were afraid to mention VKontakte or Facebook in an interview are long gone. Social media is now a powerful sales channel. Even if the candidate has not used this customer acquisition tool, it is in their interest to demonstrate a willingness to work with it.

What role do you see content in social networks in sales? It does not matter that a person is not active enough in personal pages, does not post photos or posts. But active commenting or posting on professional themes will speak in favor of the candidate.

How do you study a potential client before a call or meeting? What information are you looking for? It is important that the candidate does not forget about the personal information about the potential buyer. To conduct a productive meeting, an experienced manager will try to collect as much information as possible.

If you get this job, what will you do in the first month? It is difficult to hear something extraordinary in response to this question. Nevertheless, it will be a plus if the candidate can tell you step by step about the planned first steps in a new place. Most companies provide training for newbies, but someone who can navigate unfamiliar environments on their own is a better fit for a salesperson position.

What do you think our company needs to fix or improve? The answer to this question will allow you to evaluate several competencies: the applicant’s preparedness for an interview in your company, creative and entrepreneurial potential, the level of ambition and self-esteem of the candidate.

What value does the company bring to the customer? The answer will show whether the applicant studied the goods and services of the company before the interview, and also reveals the degree of loyalty to the place of potential work.

What have you learned lately? If the candidate does not strive to master new skills, the question will cause him difficulty, and you will immediately understand that you are facing a person who is not inclined to self-development.

What are the three evaluation questions you ask each potential client? The candidate may have worked in a different field before, but the answer to the question will demonstrate whether the manager can classify customers.

2. Motivational questions.

Which is worse: an unfulfilled sales plan for a month or dissatisfied customers? The question is difficult, because both of these components are important. A competent manager understands the relationship between a company's stable income and the number of satisfied customers. If the answer is a readiness to carry out the plan by any means, such a candidate is in doubt.

What is your least favorite part of the selling process? The question is to determine weaknesses applicant. It is especially bad if the “unloved” stages are those that the company pays the most attention to.

What motivates you? Sometimes the question may be asked in the form of a list in which the candidate must arrange the types of motivation in descending order of importance. The test helps to assess compatibility with the corporate culture of the company. For example, if the work of the sales department is built on fierce competition between managers, the person who is motivated positive evaluation colleagues, will feel uncomfortable at work.

What do you want to achieve in your career? One of the main reasons for changing jobs, in addition to financial, is dissatisfaction with career prospects in the previous place. The candidate's answer will let you know what his ambitions for professional growth are and whether your company can meet them.

Why did you decide to get into sales? The answer contains a mention only of earnings - most likely a person works in sales involuntarily. Downplaying the importance of the material component indicates that it will be difficult for the candidate to comply with the set plans. Or the applicant answers insincerely.

How do you interact with colleagues? The most effective sales manager can be on the verge of being fired if he provokes the team into constant conflicts. The purpose of the question is to assess potential problems in interaction with other employees of the company.

Do failures happen to you? The answer “I never fail” will raise doubts about the applicant’s adequate self-esteem. The story on the example of a life situation, how he got out of a difficult situation, what conclusions he made from the mistakes made, will show the strengths of the candidate, his ability to critically evaluate his own actions.

What do you think is the role of training in the work of a sales manager? If a person “knows everything about sales”, he will not even pass the training period in your company.

What three adjectives would a former client describe you with? The candidate's response must contain the words "attentive", "competent" or their synonyms.

How would you describe the corporate culture at your previous job? The answer will demonstrate the candidate's values, style of interaction with colleagues and management, readiness to follow the corporate culture. Only critical reviews of the previous company will be an alarming sign that in a new place a person will also concentrate on the negative aspects of work.

Describe your ideal sales manager. The answer to this question will tell you about the applicant's priorities, experience and professional goals.

What qualities should salespeople have? If you don't hear anything in the candidate's response that sounds like "restraint," "emotional control," "customer satisfaction," then you probably don't have the strong salesperson you're looking for.

What personal accomplishments are you proud of? The answer will show the life values and range of interests of the candidate. It is worth paying attention to what will be the first in the list of achievements.

3. Situational questions.

Is your approach different between short and long trade cycles? First of all, the candidate must understand what types of transactions exist. Even if they previously worked in retail sales where short deals predominate, an experienced salesperson will model their actions in a long cycle.

When do you stop persuading a client? The answer depends on how it is customary to work in your company. Stopping communication with the client after the first refusal is not enough persistence for any situation. Endless attempts at persuasion that cause negative emotions in customers will lead to a deterioration in the image of the company as a whole. Six or seven attempts is the most common practice when it makes sense to stop.

How do you support good mood if the day turned out to be difficult? The answer to the question will show how the manager will react to failed transactions, how emotionally stable the candidate is.

Have you ever turned down a potential client? If yes, why? The correct answer is affirmative. Selling a product that does not meet the needs of the client, or entering into a transaction in which the company cannot fulfill its obligations, is fraught with conflict situations and monetary losses.

Who is the easiest person to sell to and why? An experienced seller will draw a generalized portrait of a buyer from a specific target audience. The beginner will tell a few examples "from life".

Why didn't the deal go through? Have you asked this question to a potential client who never bought anything? A real sales manager is not afraid to ask such questions to clients. The desire to understand what did not suit the customer indicates the candidate's inclination to analyze his actions and adjust further work based on this.

Think of your most difficult prospect. The candidate's story will show whether he knows how to build work with difficult customers. Is he able to forget about personal ambitions for the sake of the result.

How could you exceed management expectations in this position? Do you want to create an all-star team? Recruit managers who are pre-configured to exceed the average sales results for the company. The question will help to determine how the candidate imagines his duties and place in the team.

If you opened your own business tomorrow, what would it be? The question of own business is natural. The presence of an entrepreneurial mindset is characteristic of many sales managers. The purpose of this question is to see if the candidate is able to present business ideas and captivate listeners.

What is the best way to connect with a potential client?“Collect detailed information, then contact the customer by phone, try to establish contact.” A candidate who answers in a similar way is right for you.

Sell me something. Classic task. Try to ask the question in a way that maximizes the potential of the candidate during the play sale. Offer a choice of “product”, actively object, create non-standard situations for the “seller”.

Describe the sales process from start to finish. There are several interpretations of the stages of sales. It does not matter which of them the applicant begins to tell. You evaluate how consistently and fully he will reveal the topic.

Tell us about the objection that you had the hardest time dealing with. How did you end up taking it off? The answer will demonstrate how the candidate copes with difficult tasks.

Teach me something. Simply listing the benefits of a product or service is not enough to close a deal. Selling is a two-way process. A strong manager involves the buyer in this process. Thanks to this question, you will reveal the candidate’s ability to convey information in an interesting and intelligible way, to keep the interlocutor’s attention.

Practitioner tells

Two required interview questions

Lydia Spevak, ex-training manager of the Comfort Shoes chain of stores

I practiced two mandatory questions when recruiting candidates for the position of sales manager.

How much money do you need to survive in Moscow. Job seekers answering: "How much you pay, so much is enough" companies are not suitable. The job advertisement indicates a fixed part of the salary and the opportunity to earn a percentage. A person who has enough salary will not make an effort to earn interest. Next, I could ask additional question: "Are you ready to receive 5,000 rubles less than indicated in the ad?" An affirmative answer was the reason for the denial of employment. We were satisfied with the candidates who voiced the amount exceeding the minimum specified in the ad. Such a seller immediately expects a percentage and will try to earn it.

What emotions does the buyer experience when communicating with the seller. I find it necessary to ask this question. It tests the applicant's empathy level. If the list was dominated by negative emotions or the person found it difficult to answer at all, we did not take such an employee because of the low level of empathy.

Tactics of asking questions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which helps to identify liars

Applicants at the interview usually note a negative attitude towards alcohol, drugs, gambling, theft, and bribes. With the help of a scripted conversation, you can assess the truthfulness of a person. The main thing in the methodology is to ask questions in a given sequence and carefully monitor the reaction to them. Gestures, facial expressions, intonation will show when a lie is spoken.

1. neutral questions.

Neutral questions need to be asked to understand how a person behaves in a calm state. This is a kind of "control point". The difference between behavior during responses to neutral questions and emotional reactions during periods of stress will be the criterion for the results of the test.

Neutral questions: “What is your name?”, “How old are you?”, “What is your education?”. Remember the behavior of a person when he answers simple questions in which he sees no catch.

2. Conditionally neutral questions.

Questions: “What do you live for?”, “Why do you need a job?” and similar to them allow you to determine the psychological profile of the individual.

The hysteroid type is characterized by answers: "I work to relax in the Maldives" or "To have fun."

Employees with an epileptoid personality type will say: "To build a house."

People of the paranoid type will start talking about the implementation of some kind of their own project.

Emotives will answer: "To make everyone feel good."

Workers with a schizoid psychotype will start arguing: “What do you mean by that! Which goal out of 20 are we talking about?

Psychologists do not single out bad or good types. The main thing is that a person, according to his psychological profile, meets the requirements that his position implies.

If the candidate is hyperthymic, with a mobile nervous system, and you offer him a monotonous monotonous job, then get ready for the fact that he will perform it poorly or leave in a couple of weeks.

By identifying which psychotype an employee belongs to, you will be able to foresee which lie strategy he will choose. This is clearly summarized in the table below.

When a person lies, he:

spends more time thinking about test questions than simple ones;
during test questions, he tenses up with his whole body, fearing direct ones;
breathing and pulse quicken, the color of the skin changes, the person often blinks, swallows, coughs before answering;
sweats even in a cool room;
often changes position, leans and turns sideways, leans back in chair.

Similar signs, not necessarily all of the above at the same time, indicate a state of stress. If a person tells the truth, he will remain calm on the block of neutral and verification questions, his line of behavior will not change.

3. Issues of social evaluation.

Questions like “Have you ever wanted to take something from someone else?”, “Have you ever had the idea of using your position to promote a friend up the career ladder?”, “Among your friends and relatives, does anyone systematically drink alcohol? » help outline the range of topics that concern a person. When answering questions about these topics, people try to idealize themselves.

4. Veiled questions.

In the case when there is doubt about the true motives of the transaction, for example, when selling a business, it is better that the interlocutor does not know about the verification. Questions should be asked as if it were a simple conversation.

To check partners, you can ask:

“How long will we return the money invested?”
“What are the return on investment guarantees?”
“What debt repayment schedule do you offer?”

If a potential partner gives quick, clear answers, backed up with numbers, a deal can be made.

If what has been said is additionally reflected on paper in the form of diagrams and calculations, then the partner inspires confidence.

Evasive, uncertain answers, appealing to circumstances that are difficult to verify, are signs that prospective partners most likely do not plan to fulfill the terms of the transaction. It is better to abandon such projects immediately.

5. project questions.

Internal audits are carried out when an employee is suspected of theft, bribery or other corporate crimes. Projective questions are used to find out the truth. For example: “What is your opinion, how should the one who committed this theft be punished?” An innocent employee will most likely answer: “We should be put in jail!” The tone of the answer will be harsh, regardless of the type of personality. The guilty person, projecting the question onto himself, will try to soften the answer: "Maybe, impose a fine for the first time."

6. Direct questions.

The check ends with direct questions: “Did you steal?”, “Did you take a bribe?”, “Did you forge documents?”

On the block control questions you will almost be sure whether the person is guilty or not. Asking direct questions is worth it in order to gain recognition. Sitting in front of you is a person who portrayed the ideal employee, but an unexpected direct question: “Did you steal?” - causes such a violent reaction that there is no doubt about his involvement.

A liar is afraid of direct questions. He is waiting for them, and you are artificially delaying the waiting time by asking about something else. By the last stage, the psyche is exhausted, a person is practically unable to control his emotions and remain cold-blooded. Even if before that he studied various lie detector deception techniques or tips from NLP books.

Practitioner tells

What to do with the guilty

Eugene Spiritsa, Head of the International Center for Lie Detection and Profiling

How to deal with the guilty person? We recommend weighing the pros and cons before firing an employee. Let me tell you one story as an example. A friend was looking for. We found a woman of an emotive type, with the necessary experience, correct and pleasant in communication. They registered her for work, and a few days later $10,000 disappeared from the cash register. I was asked to help clarify all the circumstances.

I begin to understand and clearly see that the woman is very ashamed and bad. Eyes darting, shoulders and head down. I ask right away: “Natalya Ivanovna, did you take the money?” No complex survey was required. Emotives usually commit crimes not for their own benefit. It turned out that her son got into an unpleasant story, and money was needed for a lawyer so that her son would avoid prison. An acquaintance wanted to fire her immediately, but I persuaded him not to do this. He explained: “If you give her another chance, you will not find a more reliable employee!” He listened, helped this woman solve her problems, lent money. Since then, she has worked for him for many years. Most recently, he has been a Commercial Director.

Keep in mind that the method works if you understand the person's habitual behavior before reaching a verdict. It is impossible to pull out one or two signs from the general psychological portrait.

Information about experts

Alexey Lutsev graduated from Tyumen State University majoring in geography. Organized a sport climbing section at the Palace of Creativity. With students in 2000, he founded the current company.

Alpina72 LLC. Field of activity: high-altitude work (washing windows and facades, repairing interpanel seams, cleaning roofs from snow, construction works); industrial cleaning. Number of staff: 19; an additional 10 people are attracted to individual projects. Area of windows and facades washed since 2013: 257,000 sq. m. Length of interpanel seams insulated since 2013: 27,000 running meters.

OOO "Directive Consulting". Field of activity: Internet marketing for complex markets. Number of staff: 31. Number of clients: more than 400 companies (Azbuka Zhilya, Microsoft dealers, Russian representative offices of European factories, etc.).

Evgeny Spiritsa Graduated from Tula State University. Since 1994 he has been consulting for business owners, psychological diagnostics personnel of enterprises, business trainings in various areas. He founded the method of instrumental lie detection. Since 1993, he has been advising departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

International Center for Lie Detection and Profiling. He grew up on the basis of the International Academy for the Study of Lies (founded in 1998). Field of activity - training in the field social psychology, profiling, toolless lie detection, banking and aviation security. Staff - 17 employees.