Unlock Value in Workplaces with Questions (710)
FRANCINE, A MEMBER OF JOE'S TEAM at a big well-known New Jersey telecommunications company, was miffed at her boss.
She’d spoken on their group call about the problems she’d encountered while wrestling with her latest project. But she wasn't happy with the aftermath.
“I wish Joe had asked me more questions,” she complained to a colleague.
THE POWER OF QUESTIONS
Why do many emerging and established leaders hold back from asking questions, when it's clear doing so can be immensely valuable to the operation and health of a business?
Asking questions helps us uncover value in organizations.
It clarifies problems and helps us gather ideas which are essential to growth.
If you're a leader, think about how many times a day you ask subordinates, colleagues and higher-ups for answers to questions, whether it be to get a progress report from a team captain, to request statistics from a counterpart in a dealmaking session or to get an explanation of a proposed new technology from an inventor.
BUILDING TRUST
But how many leaders see question-asking as an improvable skill?
On the other hand, lawyers, doctors and journalists are taught from day one to appreciate the craft of asking the right question at the right time.
Asking good questions ....
- Builds trust. Questions can boost the potential in people you command.
- Creates rapport. A good question can spur bonding that in turn leads to growth and innovation.
- Exposes hidden business risks. Smart questions can keep you focused on the bigger picture, protecting the organization from unseen threats and dangers.
I get that questioning doesn't come naturally to all.
Not everyone is equally inquisitive, nor possessed of the same power to size up situations and people to formulate the perfect question for the moment.
It came easy to me - I'd been pestering people with questions all my life.
I was in my element when I became a journalist. I loved doing interviews and kept striving to get better and better at it.
I share the opinion of researchers who say learning to ask good questions naturally improves your emotional intelligence, fostering even stronger question-asking skills.
QUESTION-ASKING TIPS
If you asked me to boil down the craft of asking good questions to one piece of advice, it would be this:
Put yourself in the audience's shoes. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in their situation. What questions does that raise?
A few more tips:
Stay curious. Don't rush to action and dispensing advice. Ask the questions others don't think of asking.
Ask open-ended questions. Getting the details on what people think and feel often to leads to better results than simple "yes" or "no" answers. Open-ended questions that ask "why" and "how" also keep your tendency to make assumptions in check, encouraging dialogue.
Be engaged. Encourage the other party to share information by engaging with them through your facial expressions and body language. People will open up if you actively show interest and listen closely.
Dig deeper. When there's a problem, go after the details but hold off on blaming. Be there to learn, not to judge.
DOING INTERVIEWS
How to formulate effective questions for one-on-one interviews.
Show empathy. Ask yourself: "How would I feel/act if I were doing the same thing as my interview subject?
Prepare. What has the subject has already said about the topic? Check social media videos, online articles, news archives. You should tend to have an idea of the answers to your questions before you put them to the interviewee.
Provoke, don't fact-find. Refrain from asking the basic informational questions you could find answers to in an article on the Internet or in Wikipedia. Cite what you've learned about the interviewee and then go after deeper thoughts or reactions to the basic information.
SUMMING UP
To sum up: Asking questions that get to the bottom of things is critical to move things along and do it in the best way possible.
You're hurting the process more than helping it when you are uncomfortable with the direction a project team is taking but abandon your responsibility to ask questions that provide clarity on whether the team is on target to achieve its objectives.
You can increase your audience awareness by going to michaelbarris.com/mini-course and subscribing to a free public speaking series based on my bestselling book, “How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences.”
You will receive tips, strategies and take-action assignments to guide you toward becoming an audience-focused speaker and creator of impactful talks and presentations.
Learn how to unlock the value in your organizations by brushing up your question-asking skills now.
MICHAEL BARRIS
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Michael Barris is the consummate evangelist for speaking better now to advance your career growth.
He is a transformational public speaking coach and speaker who has a background as a former adjunct professor of public speaking and expository writing at Rutgers University.
He also is the author of "How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences."
A longtime journalist, he worked for Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, producing articles on many of the world’s biggest financial and business news stories.
In total, he has produced over 3, 500 print articles over his journalism career, including more than 300 for the Wall Street Journal, and countless more published online.
Learn more about Michael and his work at michaelbarris.com
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