A technique to questions asking

I finished reading a novel last night - I liked it - it brought back all the good memories from when I worked in heart surgery and made me miss it.  Early in the book the main character is carrying a lot of secrets and slowly he reveals who he is to those around him…Early in the book he also thinks about questions.  How to ask question and really get to the information you are really looking for…how?  

"One thing I learned in school, somewhere in those long nights, was that if you ask enough of the right questions, the kind of questions that nibble at the issue but don't directly confront it, people will usually offer what you're looking for.  Knowing what to ask, when to ask it, and most important, how are the beginnings of a pretty good beside conversation."  When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin.