<p>By rephrasing a question as a statement, the speaker can shift the interaction from seeking information to asserting a viewpoint or opinion. <a href="https://httpd.coli.uni-saarland.de/groups/BM/phonetics/icphs/ICPhS1961/p4.1_779.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Check out: &quot;Are you asking or telling me?&quot; by E.Uldall.</a></p>
<p>Conversely, changing a statement into a question the speaker takes a &quot;passive voice&quot; to communicate their question.</p>
<p>I recommend checking out psych research on relational communication, especially face to face video research that shows non-verbal communication together with verbal to help unravel the dynamic in the exchange.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-30T17:56:14.723Z
2024-10-30T18:01:40.360Z
2024-10-30T18:01:40.360Z
stephan_phd
<p>The type of question you are referring to is called a <strong>leading question</strong>. As <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_question" rel="nofollow noreferrer">per Wikipedia</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A leading question is a question that suggests a particular answer and contains information the examiner is looking to have confirmed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When used in order to manipulate the expected outcome, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suggestive_question" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia also mentions</a> the term <strong>suggestive question</strong>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A suggestive question is one that implies that a certain answer should be given in response, or falsely presents a presupposition in the question as accepted fact.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-02T15:43:37.433Z
2024-12-02T15:43:37.433Z
Steven Jeuris
<p>I've run into a few people in my career that will ask you if you would use something in a way that they seem to be coercing you into using it, and it's typically done in a two part way... I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is a terminology for this type of behavior (besides being a jerk).  A good example is being told/asked <strong>&quot;If I developed this process or system...<em>you</em> would use that, <em>right</em>?&quot;</strong> being asked/told in front of a team/group of people, practically coercing you to go along with it.  It seems like there's got to be a terminology for this behavior/style in coercion, but I can't find anything with a fair bit of googling, so I thought I would ask some experts:)  The less coercive form would be &quot;would you use this process or system&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-24T22:38:56.213Z
Welcome user. This is the sort of question which would better suite our sister-site [english.se] rather than here (as it's not framed in psychology). Please ensure to take their tour and read-up in the help centre before you post to ensure that your question is on-topic and in shape *before posting*. As it is a  request for a word from its meaning, you should use the [single-word-request] tag there, however a two word phrase may be the best you get I suspect.
Jiminy Cricket.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-25T03:04:08.430Z
We have [plenty of questions](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/search?q=term+behavio*+is%3Aquestion) here asking for a term for some behaviour, so I don't think it's off-topic. I do agree that the OP may have better luck at elu.SE in this particular case, but will leave it to them to repost+delete or request to migrate if they wish.
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-26T04:12:03.010Z
I had posted this specifically in a social psychology forum because it really seems to be a psychological behavior that causes certain people to try to manipulate others by intimating they would do something with this type of directed statement/question. I wasn't looking so much for the phrase or English word, rather the condition that causes people to manipulate in this way.  If there's still a feeling that this still doesn't belong here, I'll delete and move along.
user36843
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-28T14:23:36.703Z
@user36843 People try to "manipulate" others because they're trying to get something. I don't think you need to invent a psychological condition to explain that, I wouldn't even assume that it's abnormal. Toddlers manipulate their parents and caregivers all the time. As we grow up, we may learn that others detect our manipulation and learn we might see consequences for that behavior, but we also learn that it can be to our benefit in certain cases. As a society, we often decide whether manipulation is "bad" or not based on the goals; in some cases, it's seen as mere rhetoric.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-28T14:25:00.737Z
I'm not at all convinced that the behavior you describe is that of a *jerk*, it sounds like someone asking you to take a different perspective. They're trying to be persuasive. Maybe its effective persuasion, maybe its not.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-28T15:23:11.850Z
The interesting thing about being genuinely persuasive is that people in the genuine light don't usually try to wait until you're in mixed company to persuade by putting you on the spot.  I guess at this point, I chalk it up to simple manipulation.  What seems curious is the few people I've seen take this approach in front of others are well into their 50's, not kids or young adults.  Still, I guess being manipulative is something they learned to use to their advantage and it must have paid off enough for them to hang on to it.
user36843
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-02T15:37:54.587Z
The most relevant terminology I can think of is that these are **leading questions, as opposed to open-ended questions**. I believe the question is on-topic, but as @BryanKrause has already pointed out, your assumption of malintent is likely misplaced, and I believe updating your question along those lines (e.g., stating "this _could_ be perceived as manipulative) would improve it. It would, in fact, make it a more open-ended question. ;)
Steven Jeuris
<social-psychology>
What's it called when someone asks you a question in the form of a statement to get you to do something?
user36843
# What's it called when someone asks you a question in the form of a statement to get you to do something?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-24)

I've run into a few people in my career that will ask you if you would use something in a way that they seem to be coercing you into using it, and it's typically done in a two part way... I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is a terminology for this type of behavior (besides being a jerk). A good example is being told/asked **"If I developed this process or system...*you* would use that, *right*?"** being asked/told in front of a team/group of people, practically coercing you to go along with it. It seems like there's got to be a terminology for this behavior/style in coercion, but I can't find anything with a fair bit of googling, so I thought I would ask some experts:) The less coercive form would be "would you use this process or system".

**Tags:** social-psychology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome user. This is the sort of question which would better suite our sister-site [english.se] rather than here (as it's not framed in psychology). Please ensure to take their tour and read-up in the help centre before you post to ensure that your question is on-topic and in shape *before posting*. As it is a  request for a word from its meaning, you should use the [single-word-request] tag there, however a two word phrase may be the best you get I suspect.  
> **username_2**: We have [plenty of questions](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/search?q=term+behavio*+is%3Aquestion) here asking for a term for some behaviour, so I don't think it's off-topic. I do agree that the OP may have better luck at elu.SE in this particular case, but will leave it to them to repost+delete or request to migrate if they wish.  
> **username_0**: I had posted this specifically in a social psychology forum because it really seems to be a psychological behavior that causes certain people to try to manipulate others by intimating they would do something with this type of directed statement/question. I wasn't looking so much for the phrase or English word, rather the condition that causes people to manipulate in this way.  If there's still a feeling that this still doesn't belong here, I'll delete and move along.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 People try to "manipulate" others because they're trying to get something. I don't think you need to invent a psychological condition to explain that, I wouldn't even assume that it's abnormal. Toddlers manipulate their parents and caregivers all the time. As we grow up, we may learn that others detect our manipulation and learn we might see consequences for that behavior, but we also learn that it can be to our benefit in certain cases. As a society, we often decide whether manipulation is "bad" or not based on the goals; in some cases, it's seen as mere rhetoric.  
> **username_3**: I'm not at all convinced that the behavior you describe is that of a *jerk*, it sounds like someone asking you to take a different perspective. They're trying to be persuasive. Maybe its effective persuasion, maybe its not.  
> **username_0**: The interesting thing about being genuinely persuasive is that people in the genuine light don't usually try to wait until you're in mixed company to persuade by putting you on the spot.  I guess at this point, I chalk it up to simple manipulation.  What seems curious is the few people I've seen take this approach in front of others are well into their 50's, not kids or young adults.  Still, I guess being manipulative is something they learned to use to their advantage and it must have paid off enough for them to hang on to it.  
> **username_4**: The most relevant terminology I can think of is that these are **leading questions, as opposed to open-ended questions**. I believe the question is on-topic, but as @BryanKrause has already pointed out, your assumption of malintent is likely misplaced, and I believe updating your question along those lines (e.g., stating "this _could_ be perceived as manipulative) would improve it. It would, in fact, make it a more open-ended question. ;)  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2024-10-30. Score: 0

By rephrasing a question as a statement, the speaker can shift the interaction from seeking information to asserting a viewpoint or opinion. [Check out: "Are you asking or telling me?" by E.Uldall.](https://httpd.coli.uni-saarland.de/groups/BM/phonetics/icphs/ICPhS1961/p4.1_779.pdf)

Conversely, changing a statement into a question the speaker takes a "passive voice" to communicate their question.

I recommend checking out psych research on relational communication, especially face to face video research that shows non-verbal communication together with verbal to help unravel the dynamic in the exchange.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2024-12-02. Score: 0

The type of question you are referring to is called a **leading question**. As [per Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_question):

> A leading question is a question that suggests a particular answer and contains information the examiner is looking to have confirmed.

When used in order to manipulate the expected outcome, [Wikipedia also mentions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suggestive_question) the term **suggestive question**:

> A suggestive question is one that implies that a certain answer should be given in response, or falsely presents a presupposition in the question as accepted fact.


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