Ask these six questions to get what you want

Frustrated? Maybe it’s because you didn’t ask these six questions.

Yes or no?

Think with me now: what kind of inquiries do you usually make? Are many of the things you ask answered by a yes or a no? If so, you are asking lots of closed questions. The problem with closed questions is that they don’t get you very far. Consider this example of a closed question: you could ask someone: “Did you go to the grocery store?” Because the answer to that curiosity is a yes or a no. And granted, there are times when you want to ask a narrowly focused query because you’re looking for a yes or a no. But many times, you could leverage your question and get further faster by asking open-ended questions.

Ask these six questions for maximum leverage.

You know these questions. You learned them as the basic interviewing questions that any good reporter employs to get the maximum amount of information with the minimum amount of effort:

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why
• How

Another example.

So — using the example from above, where you asked, “Did you go to the grocery store?” (a closed question — with a yes or no answer) try this instead: “Where did you go?” To which you might get a lot more information. 

Please do this.

So please listen to this short talk by Celeste Headlee (about 12 minutes) on how to ask great questions. You may have seen this before. Even so, you might want to watch again. It’s a great reminder of how to leverage your questions, and also how to have a great conversation. And if you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat.

Read more.

Want help asking better questions, or with having a great conversation? I can help you.  

And you have a couple of options for your next step. You could contact me and describe what you’re going through. And I’ll be in touch with suggestions. Or you can book a free session to make a time to get together and talk it over in person. Either way, I’m here to help you focus, overcome resistance, and get moving again.