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Asking Great Questions |Leila’s House of Corrections

Want good answers? Start by asking better questions. Managers who ask open-ended questions and use silence to their advantage are more likely to receive useful information.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

Speaker: Leila Bulling Towne, Executive Coach, The Bulling Towne Group

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Tags: Question, Leila, Leila's House of Corrections, Best Practices, questions

 

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Asking Great Questions |Leila’s House of Corrections

Want good answers? Start by asking better questions. Managers who ask open-ended questions and use silence to their advantage are more likely to receive useful information.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

The quality of information you receive when asking a question depends greatly on the quality of the question you ask. And if you re asking questions that give you Yes or No answers and that s all you re getting, there s room for improvement. Come on managers, it s time to learn how to ask great questions.

There is a reason we ask questions: we need information. But we also need good, useful information, and we don t have a lot of time. Here are 3 tips to keep in mind so you can ask great questions and then get great information.

Tip 1: Ask open-ended questions.

A closed-ended question is one that gives you a Yes or a No answer. For example, Are you happy in your job? or Do you like your job? will give you a Yes or a No answers. Open-ended questions are much more effective. An open-ended question begins with who, what, where, why, or when. Open ended questions lead people to open up--to give you more information than just a Yes or a No. Sometimes it s an open-ended statement instead of a question, such as, Tell me what you like about your job.

Tip 2: Use silence.

The purpose of asking a question is to then give the other person time to respond and for you to listen as that other person responds. Therefore, ask the question and then stay silent for several seconds, at least. How can someone give you a thoughtful answer if you haven t allowed time for a thought to form?

Tip 3: Ask a follow-up question.

Drill down and get more information. It s unlikely that asking just one question is going to give you want you need and want. Questions like, What other details can you provide? , How do you see that happening? , and Why is that an issue? will give you more pieces of the puzzle.

Finally, keep in mind that part of asking a question is listening for a response. And you want to make sure you have actually heard and understood what the other person said. Summarize what was said and then ask for confirmation. This helps you get the best information the first time around.