Welcome to the review lesson for module one of English for Finance and Economics. I'm Wanda, your instructor for this lesson. In this review of module one, you'll be able to test your own knowledge of yes/no and WH questions. After completing this lesson, you'll be prepared to demonstrate your ability to ask probing questions that don't provoke defensiveness in a realistic business situation. Before we get started you'll need the PDF titled Budget Review located in this lesson. And you'll definitely want something to write with because I have a little activity for you to prove that you can recognize yes/no, and WH questions. Here's what I want you to do. As I'm speaking, I want you to listen for yes/no, and WH questions. Count how many you hear, how many of each type you hear. Are you ready? Have you heard of Charles McCabe, a famous American writer from the 1950s? Hm, you never heard of Charles McCabe. Have you heard of McCabe's Law? [LAUGH] Really? What do you know about it? So how did you do? Keep counting the yes/no and WH questions, okay? So now you know that Charles McCabe is famous for saying nobody has to do anything. Is he right? I think he is. Little children have certainly figured this out. Rafael eat your peas. No! Can you think of any other examples that prove his statement? Can you think of examples that prove it's not true? Did you choose the correct probing question? The most important thing to remember about probing questions is that their purpose is to inspire thought, to dive deeper into a topic in order to improve your understanding. When I asked if you could think of other examples, you actually started thinking deeper, didn't you? For the rest of this review video, we're going to focus on probing questions to prepare you for your peer review. For this activity, you need the document called Budget Review. I hope you have it in front of you. Do you see the part called Scenario? Good. If you like, you can read along with me. You are meeting with Sue, the marketing manager, to discuss her proposed budget. Traditionally, marketing has attended only one trade show a quarter, but Sue Is planning to attend three total, one each month. When you meet with Sue, you'll need to ask probing questions in order to have a better understanding of this expenditure. You'll ask probing questions to help you evaluate its cost benefit. Asking good probing questions that illicit thoughtful answers without defensiveness is very difficult. Preparation is important, even when English is your first language. I suggest you brainstorm a list of useful questions, so that your probing feels like a healthy checkup at the dentist and not a painful and expensive one. [LAUGH] So, you're going to ask three types of probing questions. The first type of question, called an inquiry question, helps you understand Sue's main purpose for the change, basically, what she was thinking, her overall assumptions for making this change. If you'd like to see a sample question or get a little more advice, go to the in-video quiz now. Another type of question, called a concrete question, tries to find out details, reasons, or specific explanations. You could ask Sue what her specific reasons are for adding these expenses to the budget. If you'd like to see a sample question, or get a little more advice, take the in-video quiz. The third type of probing question, called an orientation question, tries to find out if there are other options to be considered. Chance to make sure that everyone understands what actions to take next. For example, your goal is to reach your sales targets. If you don't get the response you're expecting, what steps will you take to get your budget back on track? Are you ready to ask Sue your probing questions? Remember these key takeaways from this module. Yes/no questions start with to be, do or have, or will, or other modules followed by the subject. These questions are considered closed questions because it doesn't inspire conversation. WH question words are who, what, when, where, why, which, how much, and how many, followed by an auxiliary verb, such as to be, to have, will, and other models. These are called open questions, because they inspire conversations. For more examples, see the yes/no WH question chart in module one. For more review, go back to the video lesson one and two of this module. Asking probing questions helps us dive deeper into a topic for a better understanding. Asking probing questions can follow this pattern. Inquiry, concretizing, and orientation. We've reached the end of this review, good luck asking probing questions in your peer review assignment. Thank you for spending time reviewing module one of English for Finance and Economics.
