Welcome back to the second installment of the powerful questions series, where we discuss how curiosity, and a great question, can lead to improved outcomes and better results for your career and your business. 

In part one of the series, we discussed why powerful questions can accelerate performance. Think of it this way, asking powerful questions is a way to shift from director to coach, to get more out of your people, to increase employee engagement, and to pave the way to creative problem solving. If you haven’t already read that article, it’s a good place to start. 

Not all questions are created equal. How can this be? Weren’t we always taught that there is no such thing as a bad question? Well, I don’t think there is. But I do think there is a difference between an OK question and a great one.

A great question aims to increase two things, self-awareness and situational awareness. Increased information and knowledge in these two areas can lead to enhanced decision making and better results for you and your organization. Self and situational awareness are the simple keys to personal and professional development.

So how do we make a question great? You can start by following the tips below.

• Make them SMART. You may have heard of the acronym SMART. Remembering these tips are a great place to start:

• Specific questions are clear and focused as opposed to vague or broad. They help orient to the point of a conversation and keep things efficient. 

• Measurable questions provide for key data to track progress and evaluate success. 

• Action-Oriented questions keep the conversation moving forward toward a plan, direction, takeaways, or tasks to reach your goals.

• Relevant questions keep you on track to the purpose of a conversation and prevent you from veering onto tangents.

• Time-bound questions support accountability, efficiency, and action by narrowing to a time frame for either a solution or deliverable.

• KISS the question. You may have heard of this acronym too: KISS. It stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. Keeping questions simple means keeping them concise and to the point. This helps to avoid confusion and maximize efficiency. Keeping questions simple also means embracing uncertainty, which can be difficult. The point of questions is to uncover the unknown and gain clarity. Trying to sound smart or making assumptions can reduce the effectiveness of a question.  

• Keep them open-ended. Given that curiosity is at the heart of an inquiry, great questions leave the opportunity for the conversation to continue. Simply said, keep them open ended. As a rule of thumb, open-ended questions should start with who, what, where, when, why, or how, just like you learned in grade school. Try and avoid questions that start with could, couldn’t, wouldn’t, should, or do. These increase the chances of a yes or no answer, which can end momentum, and possibly lead someone toward a solution you think is right. The purpose of questions is creative problem solving, so don’t lead the witness. 

  Just as important as asking the question is what you do in the in-between. Listening is the key to effective conversation that leads to understanding, trust, and respect in relationships. At the end of the day, this foundation builds relationships, enhances influence, and can accelerate sound decision making.

  Listening and creating a solid relationship helps ensure that the entire conversation is effective in moving your initiatives forward, and not just the individual question. It effectively ensures that the sum of the parts are greater than the whole, so to speak.   

• Listen actively. Conversation is a two-way street. Your participation doesn’t end when you ask a question. You must stay engaged and listen to what the other person is saying. This is easier said than done but there are a few key ways to do this. The first? Ask follow up questions tailored to their responses. The second? Make sure you understand their meaning. If you are confused by something the other person says, clarify. The entire point of this exercise is to move initiatives forward. Without clarity and understanding, that is difficult to do. Third, eliminate distraction. Put the cell phone away! How many times have you been annoyed in a meeting because everyone is on their phones while you’re talking? You’re not alone.  The key to making someone feel heard, seen, and understood is to give them your undivided distraction. 

• Welcome silence. Have you ever asked a question that someone didn’t answer immediately? Did the silence make you uncomfortable? Did you feel the need to jump in and fill that silence with chatter, or context, or your own answer? Silence can be uncomfortable, I get it. Try and embrace silence. It allows for the other person to pause, think, and consider their response. It also eliminates the noise, literally, that comes from filling the space with inefficient chatter. Embrace the unknown and open the door to creativity or unconsidered perspectives. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how questions can improve your professional and business performance, we recommend checking out these two books: The Advice Trap and The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier.

If you’re interested on tips on how to ask powerful questions, consider reading: The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry by Sue Annis Hammond and Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills by Tony Stoltzfus.

If you’d like to explore how to sharpen these skills and refine your performance and leadership capacity, please reach out to learn how Jaclyn Beck Consulting could help you and your organization.