the difference in open-ended and close-ended questions as it relates to the development of the actual questions and data analysis how open-ended and close-ended questions can be used in a needs assessment appropriate to your topic.                    A close-ended question can be answered with yes or no, a simple word or phrase.  They can be useful in a survey or in a situation where a person is guarded and does not want to share much, or communication is limited (Changing Minds, 2016). Open-ended questions are those questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no response, or simple phrase to answer. According Changing Minds (2016) there are four types of open-ended questions: information questions, key questions, business/process/practice questions, and add-on questions.  Open-ended questions are appropriate in situations when you want to gather more information about a person/organization/community, their wants, needs, and problems (Changing Minds, 2016). During a needs assessment getting the maximum amount of information is critical to accurate data and information.  The data and information from the open-ended questions will generate the direction of the improvement process that may follow a needs assessment.   Open-ended questions are ideal; however, close-ended may be appropriate in surveys of large numbers of participants to gather some data for the needs assessment. Changing Minds (2016) Retrieved from