The response to a questions is the answer.  By simple logic, if you seek answers all you need to do is ask questions.  Typically you would ask about things you don’t know.

Of course, therein lies the dilema.  If you don’t have knowledge about something, ( i.e., it is an unknown) how can you know what to ask.  Without the question, there is no answer and the unknown remains a mystery.

Question Types

Closed questions will get yes or no responses or limited information.      This type of question can be useful when you have a good sense of what it is you don’t know.

For example if you go to a store looking for hammers, asking “do you carry hammers?” or “where are the hammers located?” would be a good use of close ended questions.

On the other hand if you had a piece of work to do but were not sure  how to do it you are more interested in an informational focused answer.  The response can fill in unknown gaps for you, without limiting the scope.

This type of question is called open ended and is most useful when you are trying to find out some information  but you are not really sure what.

The key to getting answers is not really about just asking the question, but rather asking the right question in the right way.  How you phrase the question is very much a determining factor relative to kind of response you will receive.