Developing the Art of Asking Great Questions

It should go without saying, but it all starts by constantly and strategically doing 2 things:

       * Learning Up. 

We must be ready to take advantage of every opportunity to learn from the leaders that God has placed around us. Those within the organization we find ourselves in are definitely the starting point for each of us. It should go without saying that the people close to you have something to teach you. Don’t miss the opportunity to benefit from them.

We must Systematically keep forcing ourselves to find others whom we can be learning from. Let me strongly encourage you to be reading at least 12 books per year and having at least 12 conversations per year with leaders you admire and can learn from.

I know this sounds simplistic, but you wouldn’t believe how many times I meet with someone and they have nothing to write with or to write on or to be able to take notes of any kind. When you meet with a leader, come expecting to learn something. Every meeting, no matter how matter of fact, has the power to teach us something. BUT ONLY… if you’re ready to capture a nugget when it comes out. Only then will you truly make the most of your time with someone.  

 One of the biggest mistakes we make is to shut down when we hear something that is contrary to what we believe or have always been told. Most people do. But one of the greatest keys to being able to learn is to stay open in the moment, and then filter and sift through what they said later.

• Have more questions than you need for a particular meeting or interview. I like to think of questions as camera angles, and certainly when it comes to an instant replay in an NFL game, the more camera angles the referees can have the better off they’ll be when the game is on the line and there are several million people needing them to get this right. The same is true for us. The more ways we can see something, the better and more accurate picture we’ll have.

• Keep your Opinion to a Minimum. Put simply: If you’re talking, then you’re not learning. Never forget you’re not there to justify yourself in front of them. You’re not there to try and prove how smart you are or how much you know, just the opposite, you’re there to find out and discover how much they know that you don’t know! 

• Frame it Up, then Shut Up! Give enough information to sum up the situation or question, and then be quiet and listen. They only need enough information to be able to put themselves in your shoes and speak from their experience. Don’t drag on with information and useless details that will only distract from what you’re trying to learn and accomplish with the question in the first place.

• When you get in a flow with a train of thought, keep it going. When the person you are asking questions of begins digging into something meaty or in depth, by all means, don’t interrupt their flow of thought. You want to keep them in that vein of thought for as long as you possibly can. That’s where the richest stuff lives! This is why its so important to not just have a few questions, but to have way more questions then you need. Because even if you don’t have every single question memorized, in the moment, your brain will have the ability to find questions that will help your subject continue in their train of thought. Thus allowing you to mine the deepest parts of their mind on a particular subject or topic. 

• Do your Homework Prior.Several years ago, I was able to arrange a meeting with the mayor of our city. I was so excited and had prepared several dozen questions going in varying directions. However, when I got into the meeting and asked the Mayor about his vision for our city in the coming days. He replied, “Well, being as I’ve been in office for 9 years and I only have 6 weeks left in my final term, not much.” I felt like an idiot. Do your homework.

•  Key in on Their Expertise. Whatever someone’s passion is, that’s where they’ll be most excited to talk. When you feel their pace quicken that’s where you’ll get maximum engagement from them. 

• Commit to Becoming a Great Question Asker. Learning the Art of Asking Great Questions is truly an art. It is developed over time. Pay attention to what questions open people up and which ones close people down. Become a student of the great question-askers of our day. Matt Lauer, David Letterman, Brian Wiliams, Ken Coleman, etc. Additionally, do a mental review of the questions you asked and how they worked. 

• Never forget the Greatest Question Ever for Leaders. Several years ago I came across what I consider to be the Greatest Question ever for leaders, here it is.

I’d love to hear your comments below…

#AddingValue

@MatthewKeller