Activity 2-13: Assumptive Questions

Risk of Harm - Guidance and Training Resources

Activity 2-13

Assumptive Questions

Here is an example of an assumptive question.

The salesperson “What colour car are you thinking of having?”

This question, by embedding the assumption that you are definitely thinking of buying a car, is used to steer the sales conversation in the desired direction. What effect might it have on the purchaser? It often works, or it wouldn’t be used, however it also can feel over pressured and patronising and make a sale less likely. The same issues apply in interviewing offenders.

Think about the following situation. You are interviewing a sex offender and have had some indications that they are beginning to behave in ways that make offending opportunities more likely. A closed question such as ‘are you’ or ‘have you’ is likely to produce a denial. You could instead try an assumptive question “How many schools have you walked past this week?” In answering the question with the embedded assumption the offender may find themselves saying “Only a few” giving you more information than they intended.

Of course the offender may feel affronted (particularly if your assumption is unwarranted) so these questions have to be used with care. They also need to be followed up with good open questions exploring motivations and helping the offender work with you to understand their behaviour. Use the space provided to complete the activity and answer the supplementary questions.

Write two or three examples of assumptive questions you might use in real situations you have encountered .

 If you haven’t used such questions before why is that and how might you consider using them?

 If you have used assumptive questions how have they worked in your experience note positive and negative effects.

 If you aren’t sure of the use of assumptive questions discuss them with a colleague or supervisor.