Why? So, why don’t we ask questions?
Those of us who have been in the school system too long (high school, college,
grad school) often regret asking too many questions; we get singled out, and
not in a good way, for asking rather than accepting what we are told.
Maybe we
have a question yet don’t ask when given the opportunity because we believe our
question isn’t good enough to ask. In the workplace environment, we hesitate to
question someone with authority or power over us, whether it’s our boss, a
subject-matter expert, or even a colleague.
Many of us
are intimidated by silence, the time when someone says “does anyone have any
questions”; we may not want to reveal our ignorance. Instead of putting
ourselves into a potentially embarrassing situation, we keep silent. Our
question goes unasked and unanswered.
Good
questioning skills are a talent we should help our employees to embrace.
Communicate and encourage. First and
foremost, let employees know there are no stupid questions. Smart, successful people
don’t accept what is front of them at face value and they certainly aren’t
satisfied until they find an explanation they understand—to do this they ask
questions.
Engage. Help people ask better
questions. Give them effective examples such as:
·
"Can you explain the details of this
situation?"
·
“Why did you choose this particular approach?”
·
“What are the possible consequences of going
this route?"
·
“Why do you think this project turned out as it
did?”
·
"Can this be accomplished in any other
way?"
·
“Why did this work?”
·
"Why didn’t this work?"
·
"Based on your experience, what do you
suggest we do here?"
Self-help
guru Tony Robbins puts it like this, “Successful people ask better questions,
and as a result, they get better answers. “ By encouraging and showing
employees how to ask good questions, you can develop their abilities—abilities for
solving problems, being resourceful, and becoming more creative in the
workplace.
Karen
Sieczka is an Instructional Designer with a performance consulting company,
Creativity@Work expert, and founder of Growing Great Ideas.com, a
training resources website. Karen has designed, facilitated, and managed a
variety of training programs including technology, soft skills, customer
service, leadership, and business communications. She also trains organizations
of all sizes to be more creative and innovative in the workplace using
micro-steps from her Kindle eBook Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work.
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