How Better Questions drive Business Success

Asking the right questions is an art, which can be learnt and practiced. Better questions go beyond the surface.

They delve into the "WHY" and the "HOW".

Most people, THINK and FEEL differently than what they may SAY and DO.

For founders to create and lead successful organisations, it becomes extremely important to challenge assumptions and uncover deeper truths. Better, well thought and framed questions, can reveal not just what people say they want, but what they actually need and how they feel about their current options.

Understanding people better becomes all the more critical, when an organization wants to lead with pathbreaking innovative products and solutions.

The questioning should open up a dialogue and reveal the real feelings rather than superficial feel-good, and diplomatic responses. This can help the organization to bridge the gap between what they are offering to what the client is really looking for.

For instance, instead of asking "do you like this feature, and how often would you like to use it?", a better question could be to ask, "how do you think this feature fits into your work routine, or how do you think this feature can best add value ?"

This type of question will help them think, providing more actionable insights for the organization, and probable areas of improvement.

Besides, open ended questions encourage expansive thinking and creativity, lead to better conversational communication, rather than monologues or short answers. Hence, within organizations too, communication between team members improves when they are asked more open ended, participative questions, fostering a culture of exploration and discovery within teams, leading to breakthrough innovations, besides of course building trust, where they feel valued and heard, further boosting morale and productivity.

Questions which encourage sharing show genuine interest and empathy, strenghtening relationships.

5 Easy and effective steps to asking better Questions:

1. Clarity of Purpose- Is it to simply gather information, understand feelings or to inspire out of box thinking.
2. Active Listening- Listen not to respond, but to absorb and take it as a genuine opportunity to know more and ask follow up questions, to dig deeper.
3. Ask Neutral open-ended rather than leading questions, which may be suggesting a 'right' answer.
4. Be Inquisitve, curious and genuinely interested to know more. Questions starting with "what-if", "why", and "how", help explore the unknown.
5. Reflect and Iterate- Learning to ask the right questions is also a continuous process of refinement. Reflect on the process, and use these insights to become even better.

By fostering curiosity and intentionality, an Organization can create a culture of innovation and out of box thinking within the team, and drive the business towards growth and greater success.

To know more about how you can unlock the full potential of your team, and create a winning business , do get in touch .

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