Questioning Skills and

Techniques
.

Gathering information is a basic human activity we use

information to learn, to help us solve problems, to aid our
decision making processes and to understand each other
more clearly.
Questioning is the key to gaining more information and
without it interpersonal communications can fail.
Questioning is fundamental to successful communication
- we all ask and are asked questions when engaged in
conversation.
We find questions and answers fascinating and entertaining
politicians, reporters, celebrities and entrepreneurs are often
successful based on their questioning skills asking the right
questions at the right time and also answering (or not)
appropriately.
Although questions are usually verbal in nature, they can also be non-verbal. Raising of
the eyebrows could, for example, be asking, Are you sure? facial expressions can ask
all sorts of subtle questions at different times and in different contexts.

Why Ask Questions?

Although the following list is not exhaustive it outlines the main
reasons questions are asked in common situations.

To Obtain Information:

The primary function of a question is to gain information What time is it?

To help maintain control of a conversation

While you are asking questions you are in control of the conversation, assertive people
are more likely to take control of conversations attempting to gain the information they
need through questioning. (Also see our pages on Assertiveness)

Express an interest in the other person

Questioning allows us to find out more about the respondent, this can be useful when
attempting to build rapport and show empathy or to simply get to know the other
person better. (Also see Building Rapport and Empathy)

To clarify a point
Questions are commonly used in communication to clarify something that the speaker
has said. Questions used as clarification are essential in reducing misunderstanding
and therefore more effective communication. (Also see Clarification)

To explore the personality and or difficulties the other

person may have
Questions are used to explore the feelings, beliefs, opinions, ideas and attitudes of the
person being questioned. They can also be used to better understand problems that
another person maybe experiencing like in the example of a doctor trying to diagnose
a patient. (See our page What is Counselling?)

To test knowledge
Questions are used in all sorts of quiz, test and exam situations to ascertain the
knowledge of the respondent. What is the capital of France? for example.

To encourage further thought

Questions may be used to encourage people think about something more deeply.
Questions can be worded in such a way as to get the person to think about a topic in a
new way. Why do you think Paris is the capital of France?

In group situations
Questioning in group situations can be very useful for a number of reasons, to include
all members of the group, to encourage more discussion of a point, to keep attention by
asking questions without advance warning. These examples can be easily related to a
classroom of school children.

How to Ask Questions

Being an effective communicator has a lot to do with how
questions are asked. Once the purpose of the question
has been established you should ask yourself a number of
questions:

What type of question should be asked See our page: Question Types.

Is the question appropriate to the person/group?

Is this the right time to ask the question?

How do I expect the respondent will reply?

When actually asking questions especially in more formal settings

some of the mechanics to take into account include:

Being Structured
In certain situations, for example if you are conducting a research
project or you work in a profession that requires the recording of
information, it may be necessary to ask large numbers of
questions.
In such cases it is usually a good idea to inform the respondent of this before you start,
by giving some background information and reasoning behind your motive of asking
questions. By doing this the respondent becomes more open to questions and why it is
acceptable for you to be asking them.
They also know and can accept the type of questions that are likely to come up, for
example, In order to help you with your insurance claim it will be necessary for me to
ask you about your car, your health and the circumstances that led up to the accident.
In most cases the interaction between questioner and respondent will run more
smoothly if there is some structure to the exchange.

Use Silence
Using silence is a powerful way of delivering questions.
As with other interpersonal interactions pauses in speech can help to emphasise points
and give all parties a few moments to gather their thoughts before continuing.

A pause of at least three seconds before a question can help to emphasise the
importance of what is being asked. A three second pause directly after a question can
also be advantageous; it can prevent the questioner from immediately asking another
question and indicates to the respondent that a response is required.
Pausing again after an initial response can encourage the respondent to continue with
their answer in more detail. Pauses of less than three seconds have been proven to be
less effective.

Encouraging Participation
In group situations leaders often want to involve as many people as
possible in the discussion or debate.
This can be at least partially achieved by asking questions of individual members of the
group.
One way that the benefits of this technique can be maximised is to redirect a question
from an active member of the group to one who is less active or less inclined to answer
without a direct opportunity. Care should be taken in such situations as some people
find speaking in group situations very stressful and can easily be made to feel
uncomfortable, embarrassed or awkward.
Encourage but do not force quieter members of the group to participate.

Types of Question
Although there are numerous reasons for asking
questions the information we receive back (the answer)
will depend very much on the type of question we ask.
Questions, in their simplest form, can either be open or
closed - this page covers both types but also details many
other question types and when it may be appropriate to
use them, in order to improve understanding.

Closed Questions
Closed questions invite a short focused answer- answers to closed
questions can often (but not always) be either right or wrong.
Closed questions are usually easy to answer - as the choice of
answer is limited - they can be effectively used early in
conversations to encourage participation and can be very useful in
fact-finding scenarios such as research.

Closed questions are used to force a brief, often oneword answer.

Closed questions can simply require a Yes or

No answer, for example: Do you smoke?, Did you
feed the cat?, Would you like a cup of tea?

Closed questions can require that a choice is

made from a list of possible options, for example:
Would you like beef, chicken or the vegetarian option?,
Did you travel by train or car today?

Closed questions can be asked to identify a

certain piece of information, again with a limited set
of answers, for example: What is your name?, What
time does the supermarket open?, Where did you go
to University?

Open Questions
By contrast, to closed questions, open questions allow for much
longer responses and therefore potentially more creativity and
information. There are lots of different types of open question;
some are more closed than others!

Leading or Loaded Questions

A leading question, usually subtly, points the respondents answer
in a certain direction.
Asking an employee, How are you getting on with the new finance system? This
question prompts the person to question how they are managing with a new system at
work. In a very subtle way it raises the prospect that maybe they are not finding the
new system so good.
Tell me how youre getting on with the new finance system is a less leading question
the question does not require any judgement to be made and therefore does not imply
that there may be something wrong with the new system.
Children are particularly susceptible to leading questions and are more likely to
take the lead for an answer from an adult. Something simple like, Did you have a good
day at school? points the child towards thinking about good things that happened at
school. By asking, How was school today? you are not asking for any judgement about
how good or bad the day has been and you are more likely to get a more balanced,
accurate answer. This can shape the rest of the conversation, the next question may
be, What did you do at school? - the answer to this may vary based on the first
question you asked good things or just things.

Recall and Process Questions

Questions can also be categorised by whether they are recall
requiring something to be remembered or recalled, or process
requiring some deeper thought and/or analysis.
A simple recall question could be, What is your mothers maiden name?. This requires
the respondent to recall some information from memory, a fact. A school teacher may
ask recall questions of their pupils, What is the highest mountain? Process questions
require more thought and analysis and/or a sharing of opinion. Examples include,
What skills can you bring to this organisation that the other applicants cannot? or
What are the advantages and disadvantages of asking leading questions to children?

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions are often humorous and dont require an

answer.
If you set out to fail and then succeed have you failed or succeeded? Rhetorical
questions are often used by speakers in presentations to get the audience to think
rhetorical questions are, by design, used to promote thought.
Politicians, lecturers, priests and others may use rhetorical questions when addressing
large audiences to help keep attention. Who would not hope to stay healthy into old
age?, is not a question that requires an answer, but our brains are programmed to think
about it thus keeping us more engaged with the speaker.

Funnelling
We can use clever questioning to essentially funnel the
respondents answers that is ask a series of questions that
become more (or less) restrictive at each step, starting with open
questions and ending with closed questions or vice-versa.
For example:
"Tell me about your most recent holiday."
"What did you see while you were there?"
"Were there any good restaurants?"
"Did you try some local delicacies?"
"Did you try the Clam Chowder?"
The questions in this example become more restrictive, starting with open questions
which allow for very broad answers, at each step the questions become more focused
and the answers become more restrictive.
Funnelling can work the other way around, starting with closed questions and working
up to more open questions. For a counsellor or interrogator these funnelling techniques
can be a very useful tactic to find out the maximum amount of information, by
beginning with open questions and then working towards more closed questions. In
contrast, when meeting somebody new it is common to start by asking more closed
questions and progressing to open questions as both parties relax. (See our page: What
is Counselling? for more on the role of the counsellor.)

Responses
As there are a myriad of questions and question types so there must
also be a myriad of possible responses. Theorists have tried to
define the types of responses that people may have to questions,
the main and most important ones are:

A direct and honest response this is what the questioner would usually want
to achieve from asking their question.

A lie the respondent may lie in response to a question. The questioner may be
able to pick up on a lie based on plausibility of the answer but also on the non-verbal
communication that was used immediately before, during and after the answer is given.

Out of context The respondent may say something that is totally unconnected
or irrelevant to the question or attempt to change the topic. It may be appropriate to
reword a question in these cases.

Partially Answering People can often be selective about which questions or

parts of questions they wish to answer.

Avoiding the answer Politicians are especially well known for this trait. When
asked a difficult question which probably has an answer that would be negative to the
politician or their political party, avoidance can be a useful tact. Answering a question
with a question or trying to draw attention to some positive aspect of the topic are
methods of avoidance.

Stalling Although similar to avoiding answering a question, stalling can be

used when more time is needed to formulate an acceptable answer. One way to do this
is to answer the question with another question.

Distortion People can give distorted answers to questions based on their

perceptions of social norms, stereotypes and other forms of bias. Different from lying,
respondents may not realise their answers are influenced by bias or they exaggerate in
some way to come across as more normal or successful. People often exaggerate
about their salaries.

Refusal The respondent may simply refuse to answer, either by remaining

silent or by saying, I am not answering.

The Art of the Question A simple way to improve

relationships and reduce stress
Summary
1.

Successful people have learned the art of the question.

2.

Without realizing it, we often handle employees and family members less than effectively because of our
natural impulse to tell, rather than to listen.

3.

A poor manager will think that he has to have all the right answers, while a good leader knows that the
secret to success is to know the right questions.

4.

Conflict is handled more effectively and with less stress when the art of the question is applied.

5.

Studies have shown that, by applying the art of the question, conflicts handled in a more physically healthy
way.

A powerful secret of success that is good for your health

Do you want to be a more effective leader, manager, colleague or supervisor? If your answer is yes, then read on.
Or if you want to be a better spouse or parent, then this article is for you as well. In this article, I am going to bring to
the top of your mind a secret of success that has been under your nose for most of your life. It is only now that I
have acquired a few grey hairs, (which I associate with wisdom!) that I have come to appreciate the simplicity, yet the
power of this secret. And there is one more bonus. Research shows that it is good for your health to practice this
secret. So what is this secret? Very simply, its the art of learning to ask questions. If it sounds simple, it is. Read on
to find out more!
I was with a Senior Manager of a large multinational organization. We ran an emotional intelligence assessment and
were discussing his results. This Senior Manager was a no- nonsense, get-it-done person. He rated really well
along a number of categories, such as decision-making and stress management, but rated low on the emotional
intelligence scores of Impulse Control and Empathy.
Looking at his low Impulse Control and low Empathy scores, I asked him whether he cut-in when people were
speaking to him. He said, All of the time! I dont have any time to waste! He gave me an example from just that day.
An Executive in his department came to his office to complain about the lack of teamwork displayed by a colleague. I
asked the Senior Manager, What did you do? and he replied, I told him I dont want to hear these comments. I told
him to go away and deal with it.
We discussed the impact that this would have. The Senior Manager eventually agreed that the Executive would feel
not listened to and would walk away disgruntled. Then I asked the Senior Manager how willing this Executive would
be to bring other issues or feedback to his boss. He agreed that the Executive may be reluctant to talk to him about
these issues in the future.
The Senior Manager handled this situation poorly. He may not have wanted to waste his time, but his role is to get the
most out of his people. His Executive, and no doubt the rest of his team, were demotivated because they could not
have a dialogue with their boss. This would inevitably have an impact on the performance of the team.
That scenario is played out every day in management all around the world.
A different approach
If we were to re-wind the scenario, what could this Senior Manager have done differently? Consider this approach:
He could artfully use questions to understand the other persons point of view, by asking:

Can you tell me more about your colleagues behavior?

What impact is it having on you? On other team members?

Have you spoken with this person?

Do you think that a starting point would be to have a quiet word with that person?

The Senior Manager came to appreciate that, while this approach would have taken a little longer, it would have
helped him deal with the situation much more effectively. The Executive would have felt listened to and would feel
that the Senior Manager had helped to deal with the problem.
Great leaders have mastered the art of asking the right questions
By the end of our conversation, the Senior Manager started to understand why people were reluctant to talk to him
and, in fact, were quite intimidated by him. He was a teller. He came across as showing little interest in what people
had to say. He had not mastered the art of the question.
It was time to leave. As I stood up, I left the manager with something to think about: a poor manager will think that he
has to have all the right answers, while a good leader knows that the secret to success is to know the right
questions."
Conflict is handled more effectively and with less stress
And herein lies a powerful lesson. Effective people know the art of the question. They truly seek to understand the
other persons point of view. We like to be around people who have honed the art of the question. We feel listened to
and validated. Great leaders, top sales people and good friends have one thing in common they have mastered the
art of asking questions. They are seen to be good listeners. We feel comfortable with them, loyal to them. We feel
understood by them. And we feel connected with them.
The art of the question and resolving conflicts
We all face conflict in our lives. In his book, Hostage at the Table, George Kohlreiser writes about his experience as a
hostage negotiator, and applies the lessons learned to leadership and conflict management. Kohlreiser talks about
the key role of questions to defuse a conflict, and to build a relationship whether with someone who is holding a gun
to your head, or a person in your family who disagrees with what you are saying.
Lets say that your 16 year old daughter says to you, I want to go out until late. I am old enough, so you should let
me! Your first reaction might be to say, Oh, no you are not! You are too young to be out all hours... Have you heard
conversations like this? This tell-dont ask reaction will escalate into conflict.
An alternative approach is to apply the art of the question. This might include:

What time do you want to go out until?

Do you want to stay out late all of the time or once in a while?

How can we be assured that you will be safe?

Again, applying the art of the question defuses the situation. It builds a bond which makes it easier to deal with the
conflict. The questions help to take the heat off the discussion and to build that bond a bond based on dialogue.
The art of the question and personal criticism
Recall when someone criticized you. What was your natural reaction? Did you:

Ask them, Why did you say that?

Tell them all of the reasons that they were wrong?

or

It is a natural reaction to be defensive. The first part of using the art of the question is to take a breath, count to 3 to
compose your thinking, and then to seek to understand the other persons point of view.
In the work environment, what would your reaction be if your colleagues confront you and say, You never keep us
informed! Instead of arguing back, take a deep breath, count to 3 and use the art of the question e.g., Im sorry to
hear that. Would you please tell me which areas you feel that you are not informed in? And then keep asking
questions to understand the other persons world. Once you have created a safe environment with your questions,
you will be able to have a two-way discussion on the issue. And you will find that if you ask questions, you will come
to more positive conclusions than if you impulsively let loose with tell, tell, tell!
The Health Benefits of Questions
Kohlreiser has indicated that asking questions is good for your health. He states that when we ask questions and
listen, during times of conflict, it lowers our pulse rate as well as our blood pressure. In short, applying the art of the
question helps you keep your cool! I am sure that you have witnessed people who fly off the handle they go into
anger tantrums during times of conflict. The simple relaxation technique for these people is to teach them to ask
questions and to listen.
You dont have to have all of the answers
Life is full of choices. We can adopt a command and control do as I say with no questions asked approach in our
work and private lives. From my experience, this does not lead to organizations, teams nor families that are bubbling
with motivation and enthusiasm. It breeds compliance, and even contempt. The alternative, based on learning the art
of asking questions, leads to more open communication, more energy and more commitment. Your task for the month
(and hereafter!) is to keep in front of you that saying that, in life, you dont have to have all of the answers. Rather,
success comes from knowing what questions to ask.
This is a 2011 updated version of an article that was first published in the May 2008 edition of Business Today.
Copyright 2011 George Aveling

The Art of Asking the Right Questions

What makes a good question? Is it really that hard to ask a question that will open up discussions,
create learning and sharing, and result in productive communications?
The truth is, most of us dont know how to ask good questions, or when we do ask a really great
question, it is by accident. There are several ways to ask questions. Some people seem really good at
it, while others use a random, what-ever-pops-into-their-head approach.
Fifty percent of good communications is good listening. Asking the right questions must precede good
listening. Good questions pave the way for good communications.
We have all encountered problems with bosses and colleagues, and especially with spouses from
asking the wrong question at the wrong time. We scratch our heads and wonder what went wrong.
After all, we were just asking, right?
The problem is that we were raised by parents and teachers who asked the wrong questions for most
of our lives. Parents ask their children questions designed to teach them something. Teachers also use
questions that are rhetorical or Socratic, designed to make us think and come up with the right answer,
as predetermined by them. There is usually only one right answer, the one they are looking for.
Heres a clue: these peopleparents and teachersarent really asking questions. They are trying to
tell us something. They do not ask questions to learn something, but to teach what they determine is
important. We learn from parents and teachers the wrong way to ask questions in the adult world.
What Real Questions Are Supposed to Do

Real questions are designed to learn about the other persons way of thinking, and to gather
information. A truly neutral question is rare. Most of us ask leading questions designed to influence
others to our way of thinking, just like our parents and teachers do.
Instead of gathering information about the other persons perspective, our questions lead someone
down a thinking path of our choice. One needs only to view TV courtroom dramas to see prime
examples of leading questions.
When you ask leading questions, you must hold your own agenda in sight, and design your questions
to end up with a predetermined answer. The person asking the question is focused on getting to this
result, and therefore is not really listening to the responder with an open and receptive mind.
While this can be an effective teaching method, it is not a way of developing true and meaningful
communications, because the listening is cut off by predetermined goals on the part of one person.
Different Kinds of Questions
Managers overuse this leading style of questioning, and then wonder why they dont fully understand
the actions of employees. They dont have a grasp on what is really going on, because they arent
asking open questions designed for learning.
People in relationships, including spouses, often fall into the leading question trap, in persistent
attempts to influence the perspective of the other person. People communicate better when they start
asking neutral questions to learn about the perspective of the other.
Some authors define questions as being empowering or disempowering. Empowering questions are
positive ones, such as:

What works best for you?

What are you doing right?

What is your favourite part of this?

When are you most effective?

Disempowering questions are also called judging questions. They bring up negative feelings and focus
on what is wrong:

Why did you do that?

What went wrong?

Who caused this?

How could this have happened?

Notice that these disempowering questions can appear to be neutral. They resemble informationgathering questions. It depends on the source, the context, and tone of voice. There is a fine-line
between information-gathering where one is exploring causes in order to find solutions, and questions
that judge and blame. It also depends on who is asking the questions, their position of authority, and
their prior history of being judgemental and blaming.
In order to frame questions in a neutral, exploration context, it may be necessary to qualify questions
with statements such as:

Help me to understand this situation

I just want to clarify the sources of this problem so we can solve it

Without blaming anyone, can we identify where we went wrong here?

Questions are clearly the way to create open discussions, deepen relationships, and create a learning
environment necessary in any relationship, be it at work or at home.
We all fall into the trap of trying to influence through our questions, because it is so ingrained in us
from early childhood on. It is hard to ask truly neutral, non-leading questions without influencing.
Questions that Encourage Problem-Solving
Here are some guidelines for creating a more problem-solving approach in our communications and
questions.
When problem-solving with another person, remember these three kinds of questions designed for
three different levels of interactions (Argyris):
Single loop questions: How can you fix this problem? What needs to be done differently? How can
this be done better, faster, more efficiently?
Double loop questions: Is this the right problem to fix? What else needs to be considered? Is there
another way to get better results?
Triple loop questions: What is your role in this, and how do you need to be in order for this to be
solved? What shifts in your thinking and being need to happen?
Clearly there is much that goes into asking the right questions at the right time. There is a body of
research designed around Appreciative Inquiry, in which people are taught the effectiveness of keeping
discussions and questions positive.
We live in a culture that readily diagnoses what is wrong, gaps in performance, and areas for
improvement. We focus a disproportionate amount of time on how to fix things, without adequately
investigating what is right. We would do well to remember that the research demonstrates that people
learn better when reinforced positively rather than negatively.

It's a skill that can be learned for problem solving

Albert Einstein, the world-renowned physicist made famous through his theory of relativity, was also known for his
general skill in problem solving. In fact, he once stated that if he had one hour of his life left to save the world, he
would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes of time on the solution. In other words, his
message is that there's a lot more power in asking questions and the "right" questions to define a problem rather than
simply jumping in and trying to find a solution. But believe it or not, many of us continually jump right into a problem
instead of stepping back and investing time in defining the problem.
As you might expect, the solutions to problems depend on how much time you spend on defining the problem.
Therefore, applying a question-based strategy to problem-solving has a number of benefits. For instance, asking
questions gives you personal power and control over a conversation. The information you glean from responses to

your questions gives you power. In addition, the questions you ask also force you to develop better listening skills. The
so-called open-ended questions are particularly helpful because they allow another person to give a broader
response, which in turn provides you with more information.
Questions can also help you to understand another person better as responses may provide personal details and
allow you to show empathy toward others and begin building relationships. Then again, a strategy of using rhetorical
questions allows you to make your point without expecting a response.
However, here's a question for you: Can questioning be learned and/or is it a natural skill? The answer is yes, the art
of asking questions can be learned and in fact, in my view, learning to be critical thinkers should be part of your
training curriculum. Asking questions is a creative process and a strategy that helps people use their imagination and
to explore new insights. Let's take a look at some questioning techniques that you can adapt in your workplace right
now.
1.

Rephrase the problem -- the words we use in describing the problem play a key role in how people
perceive the problem. The tactic then is to rephrase the problem. Try substituting one word at a time with
different variations and word replacements, repeat the problem to see if the perception has been changed.
When the perceptions change, the solutions to solving the problem will change as well.

2.

Reverse the problem -- if you are really stuck with a problem, try turning it on its head. For instance, if you
are looking for a way to provide better customer service, think instead of how you can make it worse -- then
flip this back into the positive.

3.

Gather your facts -- while gathering your facts seems to be so obvious, it's often the most neglected part of
problem solving. You need to investigate your facts and seek in-depth information so that you have all of the
details. If you don't do this step well, your problem description will be too vague and your solution will not be
as effective.

4.

Avoid self-limiting labels -- we all have some form of internal feedback and so when we say "that won't
work" without exploring things, it simply shuts the door on your creative thinking. Thoughts and comments
such as this are self-limiting labels. Instead restate your problem and add more questions until you run out of
ideas, but stay away from being negative.

5.

Widen your view -- in many cases we look at a problem from too narrow a perspective when in fact, the
problem is probably part of a bigger problem. Stand back and look at the big picture, ask what part this
problem plays in a larger problem. Brainstorm the elements of the problem from all angles.

6.

Dig deep -- from the other perspective, your problem also consists of many smaller problems. Therefore, try
to decompose the problem into its smaller pieces. Once again, use the word substitution strategy to get your
creative juices going.

Marilee Adams, author of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, suggests that there are only two paths to asking
questions, that of a learner versus a judger. In her view, the judger path of questioning is more of a reactive response
to a problem. When someone takes the path of judgmental questioning, they ask questions such as, "why am I a
failure?" or "whose fault is it?" This type of questioning is nothing short of blaming and labelling that only creates a
sense of negativity around the problem, which in turn simply causes you to be stuck.
On the other hand, taking a learner approach to asking questions sends people down the path of creativity and idea
generation. For instance, answers to the questions "what happened?" "what are the facts?" "what assumptions am I
making?" provide you with much more information and take you down the path of exploring new possibilities.
Earlier, I mentioned that anyone can learn to be better at the art of asking questions and I truly believe that. However,
Adams also has a very good point in that we each have control over which path to problem-solving we take. The
challenge is being mindful of our own thoughts, our feelings and our language and to catch ourselves if we start down
the path of judgmental questions. Asking judgmental questions shuts down any creativity and solutions are then
constrained by the narrowness of the problem-solving technique.
In her view, being a good self-observer is the key to ensuring you are going down the path of asking questions from a
learning perspective.
Learning to build your skills in the art of question thinking adds several benefits to both individuals and the
organization. Having strength in the art of questioning helps individuals to look at issues from a futuristic perspective
rather than simply from past practice.
Stronger question thinking skills also helps people to look past old tried and true conventional solutions to find new
ideas.
Overall, having employees who are more effective at question thinking improves teamwork and takes advantage of
the diversity of ideas within your workplace.While we hope we'll never be left with only one hour of our life left to save
the world, spending time up front defining the problem is time well spent.

Are You Asking The Right

Question?

Forty years ago, someone asked a profound question that fundamentally changed
how we communicate with each other every day. At the time, I was nine years old
living in South Africa. When our family visited my grandfathers farm for the
holidays, the telephone we used was a party line, where we would listen for the
pattern of rings when the telephone rang to determine if the call was for us or for
the next farm over. Hard to believe nowit does not seem that long ago.
At the same time, Marty, a young engineer at Motorola, was given a new
assignment. He was asked to lead a team on a project that showed great promise
the next generation of a car radiotelephone. Marty accepted the challenge.
However, instead of jumping in, he stepped back and paused, which led him to
ask himself a very insightful question.
Why is it that when we want to call and talk to a person, we have to call a place?
That nagging, insightful question changed the entire trajectory of his work, as he
refocused his teams attention on untethering a person from a place (including a
car).

In 1973, Marty made the first cell phone call on a prototype of what would later
become the DynaTAC 8000X, lovingly referred to as the brick. It cost $4000
and had a battery life of just 20 minutes. That first cell phone marked the
beginning of a new era of personal communication.
Our interview with Marty had striking similarities to more than 250 interviews
we conducted and 10,000 descriptions of award-winning work we analyzed as

part of a comprehensive study on great work. When we traced the genesis of

innovation and value creation back to its source, we were surprised to see how
many times it began with asking the right question.

The right question can be a disruptive agent, cutting through years of

complacency to redirect a team or a companys focus. It serves as a pointer,
aiming us in the direction of the answer. As Einstein put it: If I had an hour to
solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes
determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I
could solve the problem in less than five minutes.
From our research, the following three practical assists can inform and enhance
the quality of the questions we ask, and lead to great work.
Pause. When a person opens their mind to the kind of ideas that come quietly
they unveil the deeper, richer thoughts that are too easily chased away by the
adrenaline of taking immediate action. Spend some time alone with your
thoughts. Pause to let the purpose of your initiative marinate, percolate, and
simmer. In the early stages of a difference-making quest, the simple act of paying
attention to your thoughts can provide the few degrees of adjustment that brings
about the greatest innovation. Everyone has hunches, impressions, and the
fragile beginnings of new ideas still forming. Absorb them. Listen to them. Take
counsel from them.
Think about the people. Who will the work or the product benefit? What are
they trying to do? What do they value? What do they hope for? I love the question
Clayton Christensen posed in The Innovators Solution, what is the job this
[product] is being hired to do? What is hoped for, what outcome is desired, and
what benefit will this solution provide to the beneficiary of your work?
What difference would people LOVE? What would the beneficiary of your
work really love? Not just like. Not just feel better about. But what difference
would they love? That question in particular seems to activate a deeply human
power of creative energy inside us. It seems to open our minds beyond the
ordinariness of what is in favor of what could be. In most of our interviews we
were intrigued by how many unique versions of this root question appeared, and
the prodigious effect it had on outcomes.

The affect of asking the right question is statistically profound. In our research we
saw that asking the right question increased the odds of someones work having a
positive affect on others by 4.1 times. It made the outcome 3.1 times more likely
to be deemed important, 2.8 times more likely to create passion in the doer, and
perhaps most significant to company leaders, 2.7 times more likely to make a
positive impact on the organizations bottom line.
Whether or not your own effort will generate the impact Martys question did, it
will significantly influence your ability to produce the kind of products, services
and outcomes that people will love.
David Sturt, with the O.C. Tanner Institute, is the author of the NYT Bestseller
book Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love, from McGraw Hill.
COMMUNICATION

Proper questioning has become a lost art. The curious four-year-old asks a lot of questions
incessant streams of Why? and Why not? might sound familiar but as we grow older, our
questioning decreases. In a recent poll of more than 200 of our clients, we found that those with
children estimated that 70-80% of their kids dialogues with others were comprised of questions.
But those same clients said that only 15-25% of their own interactions consisted of questions.
Why the drop off?
Think back to your time growing up and in school. Chances are you received the most
recognition or reward when you got the correct answers. Later in life, that incentive continues. At
work, we often reward those who answer questions, not those who ask them. Questioning
conventional wisdom can even lead to being sidelined, isolated, or considered a threat.
Because expectations for decision-making have gone from get it done soon to get it done
now to it should have been done yesterday, we tend to jump to conclusions instead of asking
more questions. And the unfortunate side effect of not asking enough questions is poor decisionmaking. Thats why its imperative that we slow down and take the time to ask more and
better questions. At best, well arrive at better conclusions. At worst, well avoid a lot of
rework later on.
Aside from not speaking up enough, many professionals dont think about how different types of
questions can lead to different outcomes. You should steer a conversation by asking the right
kinds of questions, based on the problem youre trying to solve. In some cases, youll want to
expand your view of the problem, rather than keeping it narrowly focused. In others, you may
want to challenge basic assumptions or affirm your understanding in order to feel more confident
in your conclusions.
Consider these four types of questions Clarifying, Adjoining, Funneling, and Elevating
each aimed at achieving a different goal:

Clarifying questions help us better understand what has been said. In many conversations,
people speak past one another. Asking clarifying questions can help uncover the real intent

behind what is said. These help us understand each other better and lead us toward relevant
follow-up questions. Can you tell me more? and Why do you say so? both fall into this
category. People often dont ask these questions, because they tend to make assumptions and
complete any missing parts themselves.
Adjoining questions are used to explore related aspects of the problem that are ignored in the
conversation. Questions such as, How would this concept apply in a different context? or
What are the related uses of this technology? fall into this category. For example, asking How
would these insights apply in Canada? during a discussion on customer life-time value in the
U.S. can open a useful discussion on behavioral differences between customers in the U.S. and
Canada. Our laser-like focus on immediate tasks often inhibits our asking more of these
exploratory questions, but taking time to ask them can help us gain a broader understanding of
something.
Funneling questions are used to dive deeper. We ask these to understand how an answer was
derived, to challenge assumptions, and to understand the root causes of problems. Examples
include: How did you do the analysis? and Why did you not include this step? Funneling can
naturally follow the design of an organization and its offerings, such as, Can we take this
analysis of outdoor products and drive it down to a certain brand of lawn furniture? Most
analytical teams especially those embedded in business operations do an excellent job of
using these questions.
Elevating questions raise broader issues and highlight the bigger picture. They help you zoom
out. Being too immersed in an immediate problem makes it harder to see the overall context
behind it. So you can ask, Taking a step back, what are the larger issues? or Are we even
addressing the right question? For example, a discussion on issues like margin decline and
decreasing customer satisfaction could turn into a broader discussion of corporate strategy with
an elevating question: Instead of talking about these issues separately, what are the larger trends
we should be concerned about? How do they all tie together? These questions take us to a
higher playing field where we can better see connections between individual problems.
In todays always on world, theres a rush to answer. Ubiquitous access to data and volatile
business demands are accelerating this sense of urgency. But we must slow down and understand
each other better in order to avoid poor decisions and succeed in this environment. Because
asking questions requires a certain amount of vulnerability, corporate cultures must shift to
promote this behavior. Leaders should encourage people to ask more questions, based on the
goals theyre trying to achieve, instead of having them rush to deliver answers. In order to make
the right decisions, people need to start asking the questions that really matter.