How to Ask Great Questions

During a conversation, a misunderstanding can happen at any time.

Now a smart way to avoid this occurring, and get the deeper meaning, particularly in an important situation, is to ask questions.

Asking questions, and knowing how to ask questions, is important.

Equally, how to ask good questions and how to ask great questions, will allow you to extract the kind of information you need to assist somebody.

If you’re too busy talking you may never know what is truly required!

Good questions to ask, even great questions to ask people, are the catalyst to open a person up.

Most people love to answer questions, so use this to unlock their needs.

The trick is to ask open ended questions, not closed questions.

Open questions, elicit information really well.

Whether it’s open ended questions for business, or key leadership questions, the art of asking questions is absolutely vital.

Go ahead and master the basics, because asking questions does help to define problems.

In short, great questions are the answer.

How to Ask Great Questions PART Two

Is this a statement or a fact? A universal truth about asking a question is that a person will always answer it. True or false? Well, maybe I know something about you that you don’t know! A person will always answer a question even if they haven’t the first idea about the answer. How? Why? It all happens inside their head. The most powerful way to persuade someone to do something is to pull out all the stops and get them to believe that they have created the answer for themselves from their…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Three

When you are in any advisory capacity, perhaps you are a sales person, a coach, a trainer, a confidante of any kind for that matter, one of the most sensible and effective ways to assist a person who wants to make a change is to ask good questions. Here’s how. hat can good questions achieve? Questions lead your listener to a conclusion. Questions bypass distractions, they focus people. Questions take the edge off a direct command – you are not trying to force anybody to do anything…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Four

If you want better results, ask better questions! One of the best ways to explore an issue is to ask good questions. And when I say “good” I mean questions should be asked with precision. A critical factor in asking good questions is to use positive presuppositions. So, rather than say something like: “If you achieve this result, what will it get for you?” Instead presuppose, assume they will get the outcome they are seeking by saying something like: “When you achieve this outcome, what will it get…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Five

If you truly want great results, ask great right questions! Previously I suggested one of the most powerful questions you can ask a person who is to some degree uncertain about what direction to take is: “What do you want?” It’s useful to follow this question up by asking: “How will you know when you’ve got it?” Why is this? Well, it gives them the internal evidence that they can and they will ultimately succeed. And also allows them to buy emotionally buy into taking the actions that are required…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Six

People will always answer your questions even if they say absolutely nothing. So, when you are faced with a tricky situation, a tricky meeting of some kind, always make sure you have assembled a number of smart questions beforehand! Most people prefer to have a set of rules for most of the things that they do. This makes any task far easier. Men in particular, are prone to this process. So, is there a set of rules you can follow when you need to ask questions, sensitive, tricky questions?

How to Ask Great Questions PART Seven

If the intention of your communication is to influence, and if the skilful use of questions is one of the most effective ways to persuade somebody to do something you would like them to do, then it is critical to become an expert in the art and science of asking great questions. Let’s discuss the power of emotion. The simple truth lies in the fact that people are persuaded much more readily through emotion compared with their response when presented with facts alone. In fact, when something…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Eight

Of all the tools you possess to get genuine, much better results, asking great questions is probably the most effective. Why? Well, they guarantee almost immediate involvement. The next step? Develop and strengthen rapport to gain trust. Given that great questions control and guide a conversation, and cause mental involvement, they can be used to not only offset objections, but also to elicit a person’s beliefs, attitudes, and importantly, their values. And once you understand a person’s values…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Nine

Your ability to influence and persuade will play a huge role in your ability to get what you want. Now you always want to aim for win-win outcomes, but it is so easy to misunderstand and, equally, to be misunderstood during an important conversation. You want to avoid this. Erratic communication skills can cost you – can cost you dearly. To succeed brilliantly in virtually any endeavour it is highly likely communication skills will be a pre-requisite. Your ability to excel will probably depend…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Ten

Being misunderstood and misunderstanding others during an important conversation is often due to three things: A mismatch between your own rational thoughts and irrational beliefs, assuming you are being fully understood, and second guessing the true intent of what you are being told. You end up tripping yourself up with mixed messages being sent and received. The solution? Follow this simple remedy. Irrational beliefs are almost always saturated with emotion. These beliefs are FELT to be true…

How to Ask Great Questions PART Eleven

Many people think that to communicate really effectively and be successful you need to be able to effortlessly speak in an interesting fashion, a fashion that almost miraculously captivates and holds somebody else’s attention. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! Here’s the real secret of highly effective communication. So, you must have skill, charm and charisma, and be recognised as humorous, with a rare ability to tell wonderful, imaginative stories. Agreed?