The Power of Questions Applied

If you understand the power of questions, then you can achieve almost anything. Curious people, people who ask lots of great questions, make more money, win more arguments, and solve greater problems than anyone else. Questions build trust, provide relevant information, and disarms all arguments. ?Great questions help you to discern TRUTH!

Perhaps one of the most powerful questions, however, does not even end with a question mark. It is a question disguised as a request for information. It goes like this, “tell me about…” It is an invitation to spill your guts, provide information on the topic requested, and fill me in on all the details you know about the subject identified. These statements are very popular in job interviews when trying to get a candidate to tell you about their strengths and weaknesses. But they are even more powerful in gaining information about a subject of concern or opportunity pursued.

The core objective is to better understand the problem being faced or the opportunity before you. Finding these things out quickly is a bonus. ?“Tell me about…” pulls from both the past and the future — not just focusing on what you are struggling with today but what’s happened in the past and what is the vision for the future. Only then can you get to the core and begin to identify possible actions.

Listening is a crucial skill in this respect, but asking great questions is equally, if not more, important. How else do you expect to unearth the information you need to craft solutions? The information you need to make great decisions, the right decisions, is out there, you just must find it.

Asking great questions is a skill, but the good news is that it can be a developed skill. People who acquire this skill are?seen as more empathetic. They also?lower the threshold for others to speak up,?increase the quality of decisions, and foster collective intelligence. Whether you’re a business leader, marketing associate, a project manager, a freelance illustrator, or something else — a great question can help you learn more about your task, unlock hidden opportunities, deliver better results, and mitigate unforeseen risks.

The prominent psychiatrist Carl Jung once stated, “To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem.” Powerful questions come from a place of genuine curiosity and openness. There are no hidden statements behind them other than “I want to learn from you.”

Questions should not be framed in the negative or sound threatening in any way. This is the reason the best word to start a powerful question off with is “what”?instead of “why” or “how.” Asking, “Why did you do this?” can prompt someone to be defensive and try to answer in a way that justifies their choice. Asking, “How did you do this?” can have a similar effect or result in a more analytical or superficial answer. In contrast, try reframing the question in a less confrontational way, such as, “What was important to you about doing this?” or “What were the steps you took?”

Finally, powerful questions need to be?concise; brief but potent. Focus on understanding the question, not making a statement about the status of business in the world today. It is easy to lead someone to answer in a certain way you desire by putting the question in the context you want it to be. For example, “when did you stop beating your wife” give little opportunity for TRUTH without incriminating yourself.

Perhaps the most powerful part of any question is the …pause. Ask your question, listen for a response, and then…” say nothing more, listen for the birds to chirp” before saying anything else. Silence can be golden in generating additional information. The human brain cannot handle incompleteness, the silence that occurs when it is waiting for more or additional information to be shared.

Work hard at learning the skill of asking great questions and, of course, actively listening to answers in the responses given. If you did not get enough, try first…pausing, and then ask follow up questions that drill down on getting a more complete or even full answer that you need.