Questions

Prompt: Use call clips from our interactive questions workbook opens in a new window to explore how call handlers ask questions and how different question styles shape what callers say next

Task Overview

This task asks you to use the Interactive Workbook: Questions in Medical Emergency Dispatch to explore how call‑handlers ask questions during 999 calls, and how different questioning styles shape what callers say next.

The workbook explains that questioning is a vital diagnostic tool in emergency call‑taking. It also shows how question design, intonation, timing, and reformulation affect the caller’s ability to provide accurate information—especially when the caller is distressed, uncertain, or lacks medical knowledge.

You will work through the videos and explanations in the workbook to understand:

how questions are introduced (e.g., “okay… so…”)
how questions are verbalised (lexical choice, structure)
how the call‑taker opens the “interactional floor”
the difference between closed questions and open questions
what happens when questioning disrupts the interactional flow
how reformulation can repair “interactional trouble”

You will then analyse real call extracts to see how questioning supports or complicates communication.

To get you started

1. Open the interactive workbook

Scroll through the page and complete the short videos and text sections.

2. Read the explanation of why questioning matters

The workbook emphasises that questioning is central to emergency medical dispatch because it helps call‑takers elicit information callers often do not know how to give on their own.
Make notes on the three components of question design:

Introducing a question (e.g., using “okay”, “so”)
Verbalising the question (lexical choice, structure)
Opening the interactional floor (intonation + pause)

3. Study the examples

Look for moments where:

the caller struggles to answer
the call‑taker repeats a question without success
pauses, hesitations, or misunderstandings break the interactional flow

4. Evaluate how reformulation improves progress

Note how call‑takers sometimes resolve the issue by changing the structure or wording of a question (“Is he conscious?” → “Is he responding to you at all?”).
Reflect on why reformulation works better than repetition.

5. Use the call clips to examine question effects

Choose 2–3 examples from the workbook.
For each clip, write down:

the question type
how the caller responded
whether the question moved the call forward or created hesitation
any signs of interactional trouble (pauses, struggle, mismatch)
how the call‑taker repaired or escalated the question

6. Summarise key insights

Write a short paragraph explaining:

which question styles were most effective
which designs caused difficulty for callers
how question structure shapes caller behaviour and the speed of the call
why timing, intonation, and clarity matter in high‑pressure situations

7. Optional: complete the feedback form

At the end of the workbook, you can fill out the short feedback form to support ongoing research.