I change the questions according where possible to how the person I'm asking processes information. (eg "What would you say/What do you see/What's do you feel).
I have found that there are three base questions which can be phased in different ways to elicit the best responses. Here the are:
1. How's it going? / How do you feel about things?
2. How can we improve it? / How do you see that we can improve it? How do you think we can improve it?
3. What do you need me to do?
(NB This last one is not asked so you can take over, it's purpose is to find out what the person sees as being the stumbling blocks and probe further about challenges they face. Come away with a set of actions for both and a time WHEN you'll check in again with them.)
*****
There is an art to asking a question. I believe it starts with sincerity and a genuine interest in learning and understanding someone's thoughts. Whether you continue to get the valuable insights depends as much upon the perception of how well you will listen as it does on whether they believe they have something to contribute.
I have found that HOW questions provide more insights and solutions than WHAT questions. I find that there is also a feeling of empowerment which comes from being asked to contribute (and get recognition) for the improvements they suggest.
Hope this helps you along your path. Try substituting HOW for WHAT and see WHERE and WHEN it takes you... LOL
All the best,
Alison
PS Look into NLP to discover the vocabularies you can utilise to get the best results.
posted 8 days ago
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