Do you have a better question?

I recently read this article titled The Surprising Power of Questions by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John.

It brought up some interesting views and highlights how we underestimate the strength of questions in opening up dialog and connecting with individuals. Most of us who have experience conducting audits understand the power and use of questions in eliciting information from individuals, but this article also introduced a few new ideas to me on the art of questioning.

For example, most of us know that using open-ended questions is the best way to ensure that you do not box someone into a specific response, however the article also points out that there are specific situations which would warrant a closed question. More surprising is the note that there is a higher chance of getting a truthful answer when using closed questions if the questioners make pessimistic assumptions while asking the question.

The article also touches upon how trust can be built up in a dialog through the use of the right questions, in the right order, delivered in the right tone. Also covered in brief within the article is how to provide appropriate responses to questions including how to decide what to share and what to keep private.

I believe using questions to open a dialog and build trust is still an art that needs practice to ensure that the interaction feels more like a discussion and not an interrogation, and this article provides some very useful tips and insights to help you develop this skill yourself.