The Precision Questioning Model

Precision Questioning is one part of a wider questioning pattern known as the Meta Model from the field of NLP. The precision questioning model is designed primarily to address, in practical terms, the need of business people to control the verbal flow of information with staff and clients. It provides simple, explicit and learnable, step-by-step techniques that can lead to effective communication.

There are two fundamental prerequisites embodied in the precision questioning model. These are:

a) Ensure you have a well formed outcome for your questions. Ask questions using the precision model where it is important for you to know accurate and specific information. Avoid questioning with the precision model where you need not know.

b) You must build and sustain rapport while employing the questioning pattern. It is also appropriate to engage a state of curiosity as you ask the questions and reflect this in your voice tone and intonation. If not, it can appear very challenging to your audience.

A client statement such as “Sales are dropping and we need training for all the representatives.” would have the following responses within the model:

o Which sales specifically?
o How specifically are they dropping?
o Dropping compared to what?
o What will happen if we don’t give more training?
o Which training in particular?
o All the representatives need training?

The precision model is simple. The questions are based entirely on the form (pattern) of the language (not the content of the language) of the person the questions are addressed to. The model is entirely feedback determined. In other words, the form of the language and information just received from the prospect determines the next question the sales person asks. The model releases sales people from pre-set categories or pigeonholes that checklist models with their fixed questions invariably enforce.

The purpose of using precision questioning is to provide accurate information in the shortest possible time, by clarifying “non-specific” nouns and verbs. In addition, we can question non-specific comparisons and global generalisations (all, every, never etc.).
Noun Qualification
Here is an explicit procedure you can follow to learn the precision questioning process. You can apply it in any conversation as you learn it. Of course once you are comfortable with it you can drop the writing element and track the words mentally. For each noun your prospect uses:

1) Write down the words that are nouns.

2) Directly beneath each noun write all the words that you can think of that describe more specific examples of the word placed above.

3) If there is more than one word on the second line, form a Precision Model question by placing that noun word (in the blank) within the language frame, “Which _____ specifically?” and address it to the prospect.

For example the prospect says, “My sales are down.”

Step 1 entails noticing the noun “sales”.

Step 2 entails writing examples of that word such as “product, product line, services, industry, market, total, time period, and individual sales people.”

Step 3 entails formulating and asking the prospect the question “Which sales specifically are down?”

Action Qualification

The process is very similar for action words, except the focus is on verbs.

1) Write down the person’s action words that are in question.

2) Directly below write all of the action words that you can think of that describe more specific examples of the action word written above.

3) If there is more than one word on the second line, form a Precision Model question by placing that action phrase (in the blank) within the language frame “How specifically have _______ ?” or “How specifically will you ________ ?” and address the question to the prospect.

The Comparator

Often information is offered which involves a change. Relational words like up, down, more, less, higher, faster, cleaner, under, over, slow, fast, ahead, behind, early, late are used. These words imply a comparison with some other situation without explicitly stating what that context is. For full appreciation of the information you need the details of the situation that the statement is being implicitly compared to. The process again is simple:

1 Examine your prospect’s statement, writing down any relational words contained.

2 For each relational word you write down, attempt to write (based on the information provided) to the left and right of the relational word the two situations being compared or related.

3 If there is no word on one side of the relational word, ask the Precision Model Question by placing the relational word in the frame (in the blank space) “ ________ compared with what?” unless the relational word is “more” or “less” in which case place the term “more” or “less” plus the word that follows that word in the original statement in the frame “ ______ _______ compared with what?” and ask the prospect.

Geoff Wade

Geoff is the Sales & Marketing Manager of Onirik Pty Ltd. Onirik is a team of professionals focus on business value and measurable outcomes, as the reason for our clients to listen to Onirik. Onirik, together with their partner Brava, delivers training and conducts research in selling skills, management, coaching, motivational leadership, the psychology of persuasion, effective business processes, negotiation, and the practical application of NLP techniques in sales, service, and management.

Special thanks to Clive Alcock, the Director of NLP Corporate, for his valuable input and assistance in completing this article. NLP Corporate www.nlpcorporate.com.au is a strategic implementation partner of Onirik and together we jointly deliver results focused sales solutions.

Phone: +61 (2) 9004 7810

Email: geoff.wade@onirik.com.au

www.onirik.com.au