Professor Sweet has talked extensively about the importance of asking the right questions. I think living in this information-saturated world, the value of provoking questions cannot be understated. Educationally, we’ve been taught various methods for how to answer questions properly. So little time is spent on learning how to ask the proper questions.
This runs counter to reality. Most of us will spend a significant amount of time thinking of how we can better understand the nature of our project work, presentations, etc. Knowing which questions to ask in order to gain clarity on these things is vital to career success. No boss likes to answer overly redundant, poorly thought-out questions regrading work related assignments. This is at times difficult to balance. On the one hand, it’s important to demonstrate to your superior that you’re capable of working independently and can deliver a quality work product, without the boss having to micromanage (i.e., do it himself). On the other hand, you don’t want to be caught working on the totally wrong project.
This is where Pink’s method of how to ask better questions can be very useful. Initially, Pink advises generating a broad list of questions. This covers the entire spectrum of questions you might have for your boss (to stay consistent with the example). The next step is to improve the questions prepared from the first. One way to do this is by categorizing the questions. The nature of the question, relation to deadline, length, closed vs. open ended, etc. This allows for a more organized thought process and conciseness that can save the boss a lot of time. Finally, prioritize the questions. Naturally, questions of greater importance (something which can be derived in large part using the categories listed above) should be moved to the top of the list.
Overall, I think the tips that Pink outlines are incredibly useful and can be carried forward to some degree in each of our future endeavors.
BoweryJE22
Prioritizing questions is a great tip for salesmen and also just for people having daily conversations! It’s like when you’re trying to get something out of your parents; if you want to be successful, you save the hard questions for last like what’s for dinner? Do I have practice tonight? Oh can I have $45? If you ask the important question first, you don’t give the person enough time to warm up. Or, if you ask the hard question first, you risk getting shot down and ending the conversation premature.
Something that stood out from reading this blog was the formulation of better questions part. In the generation we live in now, one that constantly seeks change and improvement, asking redundant, unessential questions seems to drive most managers and bosses nuts. I like how Pink mentions that improving the questions through categorization and analyzing is key. By doing this, better questions will be present and productivity will surely increase.
Asking a lot of questions can sometimes be beneficial but it is more important to be asking the key questions. If you can get to the root of the problem through tactful questioning you can better address the prospects problem.
Something else that adds to the importance of asking questions is balancing the 70/30 ratio. Asking questions allows you to help balance this proportion.
This reminds me of sandler rule 38, “The Problem the Prospect Brings You is Never the Real Problem”. Asking the right questions allows you to get to the root of the problem.