In the beginning of the call, I probe the prospective,- Tell me a little about yourself?...Why are you looking for a change? What attributes to you possess that will make you be successful in this career? Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
You will definately have to use Open questions becuase, in order to serve the prospective student in a more effective way then you want to find out as much information that you can.
Based on this training, it is a confirmation that I am asking questions in a effective way. For example I would ask something like "where do you see yourself in the next five years? or " what do you enjoy the most about choosing this career path?
After greeting the student, I ask how did you hear about us? What program are you looking for and what research have you done? What attributes do you think you would need to be successful in this type of career?
Great! Thank you for your post, Erin!
Elizabeth Wheeler
What a great way to make a student accountable for their actions. For instance, if a student is upset that they got a bad grade you can use this question to help them come up with a plan to bring that grade up next time. It will also help them realize what steps were taken to get the bad grade so they will avoid those the next go around.
The question, do you need help with anything, is a great question to ask students. Not only does it show them you care but some students, who are shy, will not ask for help. This opens up that conversation by allowing them to come to someone they feel comfortable with and confiding in them that they may need tutoring or assistance with a personal matter.
For my phone conversations, I use the past, present, future questioning technique. I use a variety of closed-ended questions to address the past and present (e.g. are you employed or not employed, what is your education background) and to get baseline information pertaining to what situation the potential student is currently in. I then switch to open-ended questions (e.g. what do you like/don’t like about your current situation or position, what made you not want to pursue college or stop pursuing college,). These questions allow me to understand the experiences the student had and why they made the choices they did. For the future aspect, I ask open-ended questions to get a feel for why they called, why is now a good time for them to continue their education, and how we can help them be successful this time around.
During an interview, I further explore the potential students past, present, future situations by asking why and how questions. I try to get the student to think about why obtaining an education is important to them and how it will help them in the long run. I also use clarifying questions a lot to make sure I understand what is said. These types of questions also assist me in building rapport with the student and uncover any underlying issues of why they might start and not complete the program.
When talking with a current student, I take the time to ask and listen to their responses to open-ended questions (e.g. how are classes going, how is your day). By asking these types of questions, I can uncover an issue and guide/assist them in finding a solution. If a student has confided something to me, I also follow up with them (e.g. how are things going with your son?) to help build rapport and show them that I care about the situation they are in.
Thanks for your post, Adrienne! Sounds like you clarify understanding for both you and the student, which is excellent! What questions do you use to encourage them to share more details?
Dr. Jean Norris
Emily,
Thanks for sharing! These are great ways to open up a conversation with current and prospective students. I'm curious...do you also ask questions to help prospective students discover where they want to be, or what their goals are?
Dr. Jean Norris
Barbara,
Thanks for your response! Asking a question to begin building rapport is an excellent place to start!
Dr. Jean Norris
Thanks, Christina! Sounds like you start with questions for building rapport and then move into discovery questions. Great!
Dr. Jean Norris
I always greet a student by asking, "How are you doing today?" This generally opens a conversation. If the student is someone I've never talked with before (like a prospective lead) my second question is usually something like, "Tell me a little about yourself, what is your current situation like?" This allows the student to open up and based on what they initially tell me, I can guide my future questions based on their reply. It gives me a baseline to gauge our conversation and sets me up for more engaging questions.
I agree, for me the most effective question to ask would be "How are You doing today? and how are you doing in your classes. This generates a response from the student which is either an expression or a response. The answer or the expression helps me To proceed on with what I see or here.
If I'm talking to a current student I will always ask "How are things going?" That warrants a response about not only how classes are going but if there are any other distractions outside of school that are effecting their school performance.
If I'm talking to a perspective student I always ask what their current situation is. I ask this mainly to have them recognize what situation it is that they want to get out of/change.
I ask a lot of, "What do you mean by that?" questions. It allows me to gain a better understanding of their perspective, and prevents me from misinterpreting or using my own judgement to fill in the blanks. Students can then rephrase their responses and share some more detail about the situation.
I ask students, "What steps do you think you will need to take to achieve your goal?" It gets them thinking about the individual tasks they will need to perform to get to their desired outcome. Verbalizing these steps also gives them the framework for a plan to achieve that goal. It also takes the focus off the end result and puts it on the role the student will play in reaching that outcome.
Salma, We agree! Building rapport is a huge part of being able to ask questions.
Elizabeth Wheeler
NaTesha, Again, excellent answer. Thank you for sharing.
Elizabeth Wheeler
I answer the phone with a smile and ask how can I assist them today? That opens up the dialog and they I frame my question depending on what the student needs, at this point I can used closed or open questions depending on situation
