Asking better questions can help you get better answers, learn how to ask better questions to get to the right answers and offer more clarity.

1. Asking better Questions
Robin Low

2. Bad Question
• “Why,” “How,” or “What do you think
about…,”?
– An innocent question may be a bad question
– This questions puts people (employees or
students, etc.) on the spot, creates ambiguity and
stress.

3. Ask the right kind of questions
• An empowering question does more than
convey respect for the person to whom it’s
posed. It actually encourages that person’s
development as a thinker and problem solver,
thereby delivering both short-term and long-
term value

4. Ask the right kind of questions
• A disempowering question, on the other
hand, undercuts the confidence of the person
to whom it’s asked and sabotages her
performance. Often, these types of questions
focus on failure or betray that the questioner
has an agenda.

5. Qualities of good questions
• They create clarity: “Can you explain more about
this situation?”
• They construct better working relations: Instead
of “Did you make your sales goal?” ask, “How
have sales been going?”
• They help people think analytically and critically:
“What are the consequences of going this
route?”
• They inspire people to reflect and see things in
fresh, unpredictable ways: “Why did this work?”

6. Qualities of good questions
• They encourage breakthrough thinking: “Can
that be done in any other way?”
• They challenge assumptions: “What do you
think you will lose if you start sharing
responsibility for the implementation
process?”
• They create ownership of solutions: “Based
on your experience, what do you suggest we
do here?”

7. Good questions lead to good answers
• Rhetorical questions that belittle people have
no purpose but to have power over another.
• Questions to force subordinates into a
defensive or reactive stance do not allow
people to clarify misunderstandings or achieve
goals.
• Several types of questions can have a negative
effect on subordinates.

8. What not to ask
• Why did you not submit your homework?
• What’s the problem with this project?
• Who isn’t keeping up?
• Don’t you know any better than that?
• Do you know that you are 1 hour late?
• Do you think Jane is lying?

9. Clarity
• Instead of asking – “How did we become so
successful?”
• Asking “What enabled us to be successful in
coming up with an innovative strategy?” -
Focuses on the process / method and clarifies
on where the question is going and what
answers are expected.

10. Focus on Solutions
• Sometime asking what went wrong when you
know what happened is not a good way to
start a conversation.
• Focusing on the solution may be a better way
of asking what should be done.
“What one idea and/or strategy that we are not
currently implementing do you believe would
best contribute to the success of our company?”

11. Business Questions
• Sometimes asking how is not a good way to
start the brainstorming process.
• It puts some people on the spot, and
culturally, (especially in Asia) the ambiguity
will lead to uneasiness and anxiety.
• Instead of asking how it could be done, by
asking why, who, what and when with clarity
can lead you to the solution.

12. Business Questions
Why are you doing this?
What are we trying to solve?
Who are we helping?
When should it be completed?
Solution!

13. • This is what I learnt from Dave Rogers, and I
would like to share and ask better questions
from today!
-- Robin Low
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