The Power of Asking Questions ... And There Is No Downside!
“There is no such thing as a dumb question.”
from The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
(and many others)
(Link to video)
Very early in my career, I learned that if you ask questions, you are leading the conversation. And to this day, I find that this holds true every time.
If I find myself “dragged” into a conversation that I do not enjoy, or find valuable, I can either politely excuse myself, or ask an open-ended question that leads to a change of subject.
Asking questions is powerful. And in addition to the power of leading a conversation, it has so many positive effects:
Learning new things, expanding knowledge
Teaching us about the people we are with
Providing clarification to avoid (incorrect) assumptions
Conveying interest and improving bonds with those we are with
Engaging people by making them talk about a subject they know well (and who does not like that!)
I am sure you have come across individuals that are asking a lot of questions. And some are better at it than others.
Mike Martel has put four best practices together to become “amazingly good”:
- Don’t ask Yes or No questions. Questions with “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “how,” or “why” lead to people giving some thought to their answers and then providing much more information.
- Dig deeper. Ask follow-up questions such as, “What makes you say that?” or “Why do you think that?”
- Use the power of silence. Many times, the person you are questioning has more information and will bring it out when you wait for it.
- Don’t interrupt. Interrupting tells the person you do not value what they are saying. It stops their train of thought and directs the conversation the way you want, not necessarily the way it should go.
Those four best practices apply in any setting. I believe they can be enhanced by four more best practices if used in a business setting:
- Plan your question(s). Be prepared with questions relative to e.g., the topic of a meeting.
- Know your goal. Don’t just ask for the sake of voicing a question. Know which kind of information you need and frame your questions accordingly.
- Ask only essential questions. Respect the other person’s time and attention to avoid appearing resistant to moving on to another topic.
- Use the right tone and language. Adjust those to the person you are directing the question to.
With all that in mind, the question to ask (no pun intended) is why do some people not ask questions?
For some people, the reason is that they are lazy. They assume they know all the things they need to know, and they do not bother to ask more. They cling to their beliefs and remain satisfied with their assumptions.
Other people are afraid that by asking questions, they will look weak, ignorant, or unsure. They like to give the impression that they are decisive and in command of the relevant issues. They fear that asking questions might introduce uncertainty or show them in a poor light.
Finally, some people are in such a hurry to get on with things that they do not stop to ask questions because it might slow them down.
Some of those points can become part of organizational culture. If managers and executives are not setting the example and only assume, if asking questions is not actively encouraged, or if those asking questions are ridiculed and reprimanded, the organization will slowly descent into a dark hole of ignorance.
“Question everything,” Albert Einstein famously said. Personal creativity and organizational innovation rely on a willingness to seek out new information. If you are working in an organization that does not value questions, and those asking them, maybe it is time to leave.
What is your organization like?
I will close with advice provided by Paul Sloane: “Try to practice asking more questions in your everyday conversations. Instead of telling someone something, ask them a question. Intelligent questions stimulate, provoke, inform, and inspire. Questions help us to teach as well as to learn.”
Let us know if you would like to find out how interim or fractional sales leadership can help your organization.
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Mike Martel – How to Be Amazingly Good at Asking Questions
Paul Sloane – Ask questions: The Single Most Important Habit for Innovative Thinkers