THE

THE ART
ART OF
OF
QUESTIONING
QUESTIONING
CLIENTS
CLIENTS
 OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
The following deck provides a framework to help structure
your conversations when taking briefs from clients.
 CREATED BY

JULIAN COLE ALEX MURRELL

is a strategy consultant is the Head of Planning at
who works with brands Epoch where he works with
and agencies to create FMCG brands to develop
world class integrated brand strategy, identity and
campaigns. communications.
 INTRODUCTION
As strategists we are told not to take a brief, but to interrogate it.

We are asked to question our clients. To query their assumptions. To

test their thinking. To push, to prod, to probe.

It seems the ability to question a client is a core Planning skill. And yet
our industry offers little advice on how to do it.

This deck aims to change that.

“
The quality of the answers we get
are directly correlated with the
quality of the questions we ask.

Shane Parish,
Farnam Street
 THE FRAMEWORK
When interrogating a brief, your questioning should flow through three distinct phases. These
phases lead the conversation from broad and exploratory to narrow and pointed.

PHASE ONE PHASE TWO PHASE THREE

Use questions to help Use questions to help Use questions to help

explore the problem. clarify the details. frame the direction.
 PHASE
PHASE ONE
ONE
EXPLORE
EXPLORE THE
THE
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
THE OBJECTIVE

Help your client explore their brand’s

challenges.

A common mistake strategists make is to

brush over the problem phase and eagerly
present potential solutions, case studies or
agency service offerings.

Avoid this. Stop thinking about selling.

During stage one focus entirely on your
client’s challenges.
THE MINDSET

Question like a hostage negotiator.

FBI negotiators do not attempt to
persuade their counterparts. They use
‘tactical empathy‘ to deeply
understand their counterparts’
problems and then work with them to
navigate to a desirable outcome.
THE QUESTIONS

Use open-ended questions.

Encourage long, thoughtful answers. Open-ended questions

prompt criminals (and clients!) to engage in a deeper level of
introspection.

Example client questions:

● How has your brand performed over the last 12 months?

● What are the challenges your brand is facing?
● What do we know about your target audience?
THE TECHNIQUE

Use active listening. ● Minimal encouragers: Use short phrases or words that
signal you are listening (e.g. “okay”, “yes”, “I see”).
Once an open-ended
Paraphrasing: Occasionally summarise a subject’s
question has been asked,
●
position (e.g. To make sure I understand correctly…”).
FBI negotiators focus all
● Mirroring: Repeat the last few words, or most salient
their energy on listening to
phrases, that a subject has used.
the response. Five
● Effective pauses: Use silence to encourage your
techniques will help you
counterparts to keep talking or to defuse emotions.
maintain and signal this
● Emotional labelling: Describe the feelings on display to
attention.
show you understand. (e.g. “It sounds like you’re feeling…”)
“
Research shows that when
someone feels listened to, they
tend to listen to themselves
more carefully and to openly
evaluate and clarify their own
thoughts and feelings.

Chris Voss, FBI

Hostage Negotiator
PHASE
PHASE TWO
TWO
CLARIFY
CLARIFY THE
THE
DETAILS
DETAILS
THE OBJECTIVE

Help your client clarify specific details.

Answers to open-ended question can be

long and meandering, encompassing
many tangents and sidebars. The objective
of phase two is to bring the conversation
back to any key topics that were unfinished
or lacking in detail.
THE MINDSET

Question like a police interrogator.

Police interviews will often start with
suspects, or their legal council, providing
broad statements. During the interview
Police Interrogators aim to turn these
vague statements into specific, concrete
details that can be proven or disproven
with further evidence.
THE QUESTIONS

Use closed questions.

Encourage commitment to specific details. Closed questions cause

suspects (and clients!) to provide simple, concrete answers.

Example client questions:

● You mentioned new competitors. Who are they exactly?

● You want to increase penetration. What is it currently?
● You spoke about purchase barriers. Do we know them?
THE TECHNIQUE

Use boxing. Imagine a suspect says, “We drove to the supermarket on

Saturday”. An officer might ‘box’ four words:
Police interrogators write
out their suspect’s
● “We”: Who were you with? What’s your relationship?
statement and then draw
● “Drove”: Who drove? What car? Whose car is it?
a box around any word
● “Supermarket”: Which store? What location?
that they would like to ask
● “Saturday”: What date? What was the time?
further questions on.

The seven word statement leads to nine follow-up questions.

Strategists can use this technique on written briefs..
“
Having elicited an account from
the witness during the free
narrative phase of an interview,
the interviewer should divide it
into manageable topics to be
introduced (…) and
systematically probed.

Department of Justice
Interviewing Guidelines
PHASE
PHASE THREE
THREE
FRAME
FRAME THE
THE
DIRECTION
DIRECTION
THE OBJECTIVE

Help your client frame the direction.

By now, you have helped your client

explore their problem and clarified specific
details.

The final phase of questioning aims to help

your client identify and commit to a clear
direction forward.
THE MINDSET

Question like a criminal barrister.

In court, barristers will question their own
witnesses (direct examination) and the
opposition’s witnesses (cross
examination).

In cross examination barristers need to

limit what an opposition witness says.
They control the message.
THE QUESTIONS

Use leading questions.

Encourage commitment to concrete next steps. Leading

questions provide alignment on a clear direction
forward.

Example client questions:

● The aim is to grow the category isn’t it?

● So, we are targeting light buyers aren’t we?
● We need to change quality perceptions don’t we?
THE TECHNIQUE

Use reverse testimony. To continue the example from phase two, a barrister in
cross-examination may ask the following question:
When questioning an
opposition witness,
● You were with your brother weren’t you?
barristers will state the
● You drove your silver Ford Focus didn’t you?
fact that they want the
● You visited Tesco Extra at 3.00pm, correct?
jury to hear and ask the
witness to confirm it.
Using this technique, the barrister provides the testimony they
want a jury to hear and the witness corroborates it.
Strategists can use this technique to signal a way forward..
“
Never, never, never on
cross-examination ask a
witness a question you don’t
already know the answer to.

Harper Lee, author and daughter

of the lawyer A. C. Lee
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
 THE SUMMARY
Three phases of questions lead the conversation from broad and open to narrow and closed.

Objective Mindset Questions Technique

Explore the Hostage Open questions, Active

PHASE ONE problem negotiator long answers listening

Clarify the Police Closed questions, Use

PHASE TWO interrogator boxing
details short answers

Frame the Criminal Leading questions, Reverse

PHASE THREE direction barrister yes/no answers testimony
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