4 tips for powering up your questions
In a recent edition of James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter he included a quote from playwright Eugene Ionesco on discovering something useful…
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question” - Decouvertes
I’m sure we all aim for enlightening questions…but how can we ask them?
Here are 4 tips for powering up your question game:
Ask the obvious—I’ll bet there were times when you held back a question because you thought it was obvious or ‘dumb’. More often than not, those simple questions generate the most valuable discussions, so make sure you ask them.
Sharpen your listening - look for gaps, unexplained assumptions or areas that need further exploration.
Focus on clarity and specificity - ask yourself, ‘What is the simplest, most straightforward way I can ask my question?’
Seek question superstars - have you heard someone ask a question and thought, ‘I wish I’d asked that’? They might be one of your question superstars. Listen carefully to the questions they ask. Try to analyse the questions and ask them how they come up with them.
For deeper insights into powering up your question game, click here to access my free e-book, COMPEL - 5 Steps to the Perfect Question