- 1). Listen to the things people are discussing -- politics, the environment, reality television -- before asking a question. This will give you a clue about the types of questions you should ask.
- 2). Direct your question to the whole group if there's a pause in conversation, or to a specific person. Ask an open-ended question instead of one that can be answered with a siimple yes or no, or with a few words. For example, "How much truth do you think there is in the portrayal of the Old West in most movies and television programs?" This is not a question that can be answered simply; it requires the other person to think.
- 3). Listen carefully to the person's answer and build your questions from their answers to keep the discussion lively. For instance, if the person responds with, "I think there's a considerable amount of accuracy in the portrayal, but there's also some romanticism involved," you could follow up with a question such as, "What types of things or situations do you think are romanticized?"
Source...