If you had one question…

If you had one question…

First and foremost, I’d like to say congratulations to the “new queen” of women’s tennis, Naomi Osaka on winning this years US Open tournament; Her third grand slam singles championship and second US Open title. She has not only shown superb talent over the last few weeks but also used her stage to shed light on the social injustices that continuously plague America.

I have obviously never competed at the level she has but was apart of an organized sports team from the age of 5 to 22. Competing in floor hockey, soccer, basketball, football, and track and field. A sport that I gave 8 years of my life ending as a triple jumper for Northwood University (Midland, MI). With that I quite naturally have a special appreciation for anyone that competes in any sport regardless.

The more time I have here on earth, the more I find myself reflecting and taking the time to live in the moment. Life is a journey; everyone has their own story. Its because of this very reason that I am just as intrigued in analyzing the interviews of athletes as I am in watching them compete.

In watching the post interviews of both Naomi Osaka and Vika Azarenka I found myself listening very closely to the questions that the reporters were asking. I then thought to myself “Wow, these people must have one hard job”. They are given a 15-30 second window to ask just one question. How do they settle on what to ask? How does the media outlet they report for dictate what they will ask? What personal views do they have about the person they are interviewing? How does that effect their tone and demeanor when speaking to them?

There are many examples of press interview questions that have provoked some amazing and not so favorable responses from people within the sports arena. The first that comes to mind for me is Allen Iverson’s “practice” interview. Or what about Oklahoma State’s coach, Mike Gundy’s famous interview from 2007, “I’m a MAN, I’m 40!”. Where he urges the media to come after him and not his players who are kids. On the flip side we have interviews from docu-series like “The Last Dance” where Michael Jordan addressed many unanswered questions about his life and career. And of course, there are a plethora of life changing moments where athletes must admit some of the most devastating events of their past and literally process life with the entire world.  

What are we taught about questions? Quotes:

- “No question is a dumb question” – Unknown

- “One who never asks either knows everything or nothing” – Malcom Forbes

- “Some men see things as they are and ask, ""Why?"" I dream things that never were and ask, ""Why not?" – Robert F. Kennedy

- “Good leaders ask great questions that inspire others to dream more, think more, learn more, do more, and become more.” - John C. Maxwell, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions: Your Foundation for Successful Leadership

Two of the most common questions I am asked are:

How are you? /How’s it going?

And

How was your weekend?

Naturally to stay engaged with them I often ask these same questions back. But when was the last time you were intentional to ask someone a question because you were genuinely interested in hearing the answer?

I write this article to simply challenge you. The next time you have an important meeting, encounter a family member you haven’t seen in a while, greet that co-worker that you interact with every day…to think about the question you are asking them. Make it as thought provoking as possible versus just asking because it sounds like the logical thing to do.

Put yourself in the mind frame of that reporter who’s granted at max 30 seconds to ask just one question and then proceed. I think we would all be surprised at our responses and learn a lot more about each other.

What’s the most thought-provoking questions you’ve ever been asked and what was your response?

OR

What is the most thought-provoking question you’ve ever asked and what was their response?

Please like, share, and comment/engage below! Thank you so much for reading. Until next time.