Open-ended question asking are those that start with “why” and “how”, questions that do not lend themselves to short answers. They are a useful technique because it buys time, it “empowers” the opposing party to solve your proposed issue/problem. This empowerment shifts the frame of the conversation and makes the opposing party feel in control1.
1. Voss, C. & Raz, T. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. (Harper Business, New York, 2016).