Ask the right questions to inspire change, motivation

Kelli Rodda

“Why?” It’s usually the first question we learn as a toddler. Remember when it seemed like your children asked “why” at least 1,000 times a day? Well, it’s not quite that many, but it’s a lot. Preschoolers tend to ask 200 questions a day. Their little inquisitive minds are soaking up data that is crucial to development.

Although that same sense of curiosity would help us as adults, we stop asking so many questions. The average college student asks only 20 questions a day.

Are you asking enough questions to learn more about your company’s processes and your employees’ ideas and observations?

Take the time to ask yourself and your employees questions. But make sure you’re asking the correct type of questions, said Ron Rosenberg of Quality Talk Inc., who spoke at Next Level in January. In his Business Self-Defense newsletter he said we tend to ask questions like, “Why do bad things happen to me?” or “Why isn’t this promotion bringing in new customers?” Don’t start with “why,” which can become frustrating, because many of these simply can’t be answered with the resources we have at our disposal. And even if you could answer them, he said, there’s frequently no clear direction on what you can do to change the situation. But questions that start with “how” have the next steps built in to the answer. Try it this way: How can I become more aware of opportunities to improve myself? How can I track and measure our marketing campaigns so I’ll know which ones are working best? Answers to the “how” questions will point you in the direction of a solution or some deliberate action, he said.

That doesn’t mean to avoid all questions that start with “why.” Just be aware of the way you’re asking questions.

There are different types of questions, and the best way to ask depends on the situation, according to Chris Musselwhite and Tammie Plouffe, business executives and bloggers for Harvard Business Review.

They define three types of questions and when they should be used.

1. Convergent questions: What, where, who and when questions get a person to clarify the specifics of what he or she is thinking. Converging questions can be important when time is of the essence or you are dealing with someone who is theoretical.

2. Divergent or expansive questions: Why and what if questions ask a person to expand on what he or she is thinking. Divergent questions can be important when you need someone to see the larger context of a position.

3. Integrating questions: If...then what questions demonstrate an attempt to find common ground between opposing positions. This builds trust and encourages compromise, which is important in situations where the stakes are high for both sides.

Effective leadership and positive change starts when you take the time to ask appropriate and correctly worded questions and listen to the answers.