How to Ask Smart Questions

09/19/2007

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Andrew Finlayson, writing in Work & Family Life (December, 2004; www.workandfamilylife.com) offers these suggestions for asking better questions:

Awareness. What do you really want to know? Define your purpose.... Focus your questions on the right information at the right time.

Ability. Who has the expertise and authority to answer your question? Who has mastery of the topic and the time and willingness to be helpful?

Attitude. Think about how to phrase and present your question — and don’t pose it as a challenge. Find a way to establish a relationship with the person, a shared sense of purpose, and degree of trust.

Listen. Listen for what you wanted to know and what you did not expect to hear. Go beyond facts and ask for the person’s opinion. Just remember, when you seek an opinion, you are honor bound to pay attention and not immediately counter it.

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