Here are some examples of open-ended questions organized by purpose:
Clarify:
What do you mean? What are you referring to? Can you add more details? Is there anything else? What do you really want? What is making you feel confused (or another emotional state)?
Anticipate Situations:
What might happen if you continue acting this way? What would you do if it doesn’t work? And if it doesn’t happen, then what? What’s your Plan B? Where do you think this perspective on life will lead you? You told me you want to be an engineer: what grades are you getting in math?
Evaluate:
What do you gain and what do you lose by acting this way? What advice would you give to someone else in your situation? What steps are you taking to achieve that goal? Can you rate it on a scale from 1 to 10?
Encourage Learning:
What has worked for you so far? How could you improve in…? If you only had one month to live, what would you do about your family? What are your goals in friendship, family, and studies? What can you learn from what you’ve done?
Explore Options:
What options do you have right now? What are the possible solutions? What are you missing? What else comes to mind? What’s holding you back from leaving this situation?
