Asking Better Questions

Asking better questions

Hello, I’m CHRIS @chrishow

Asking better questions

1. What makes a good question?
2. How can I get better answers from my questions?
3. How can I get better at asking questions? In this session

Albert Einstein If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes to determine the proper questions to ask.

Voltaire Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.

Thomas S. Kuhn The answers you get depend on the questions you ask.

What makes a 
 good question? 8 factors to consider

a good question ends in a question mark 1 of 8

a good question has a purpose 2 of 8

a good question gives insight that 
 is actionable 3 of 8

a good question opens up a conversation 4 of 8

a good question is neutral and free of bias 5 of 8

a good question is interesting 6 of 8

a good question is short 7 of 8

a good question can be answered 8 of 8

Let’s play - 
 ‘The BBC are rubbish at asking questions’ bingo

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 1 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 2 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 3 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 4 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 5 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 6 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 7 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 8 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 9 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 10 of 11

BAD QUESTION / INTERVIEWING BINGO statement not a question closed question (yes / no) close-ended question (x or y) leading question loaded / charged words non-understood jargon compound questions (ands) subordinate clauses (commas) long question (=>12 words) asking for a solution asking for future predictions not probing the clues (5 whys?) interviewer talking too much verbally praising answers non-verbally praising answers cutting the answer short 11 of 11

How can I get better answers from my questions? My 5 top tips

getting better answers Listen and observe more than you talk.
Use the power of silence. 1 of 5

getting better answers Be aware of moderation bias. Avoid prompting, leading and confirming. 2 of 5

getting better answers Ask fewer questions but go deeper. Use the five whys. 3 of 5

getting better answers Know your killer question 
 and when to ask it. 4 of 5

getting better answers Empower the interviewee.
Unlock insight through interest and empathy. 5 of 5

getting better answers What would you suggest?

How can I get better at asking questions? My 5 top tips

asking better questions Do more of it. Improvement comes with practice and reflection. 1 of 5

asking better questions Listen back critically to session recordings of yourself.
However experienced you are you’ll find things to improve upon. 2 of 5

asking better questions After each project reflect on which questions gave the best insight and why.
Keep an ongoing list, iterate and re-use good questions. 3 of 5

asking better questions Watch other practitioners in action.
Live or recorded. Experienced colleagues and those starting out. 4 of 5

asking better questions Stretch yourself. Build your toolkit by asking a new question or trying a new activity in your next project. 5 of 5

asking better questions What would you suggest?

Thank you for listening Any questions?

Asking better questions Slides, articles & resources https://noti.st/chrishow/HZkBNh/asking-better-questions @chrishow