No Binary Questions
Also known as: Closed Questions, Binary Questioning
The rule requiring narrative questions rather than yes/no questions.
Full Definition
Yes/no questions constrain insight and hide unexpected signals. When someone answers 'yes,' the interviewer learns nothing about why, how often, in what context, or what would change the answer. Narrative questions reveal behavior, causality, frequency, context, and emotional weight that binary answers cannot capture.
Example
'Do you ever have communication problems with the care team?' vs 'Tell me about the last time a miscommunication between team members affected a patient's care.' The second generates a story. The story contains the insight.