Let's experiment: I asked a colleague in work about her drinking habits!
| Question | Answer |
| Do you take sugar in tea? | No |
| Do you take sugar in coffee? | Yes |
| Would you like to try sugar in tea this time? | No |
| Could you drink coffee without sugar? | No |
| So let's recap: you don't like tea with sugar, but you can't drink coffee without, is that right? | Yes |
In these questions, the range of answers was really limited to Yes and No. In this case, it was quite appropriate to use closed questions.
However, you may find that, by using several closed questions together, you'll sound like you're interrogating the other person. So rather than "question, answer, question, answer" try "question, answer, comment": it softens the questions while demonstrating that you are paying attention to the answers.
So, when using questions to their best effect, save the closed questions until you are looking for: