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Re-learning the art of asking a question 

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Re-learning the art of asking a question 

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Focus on the problem you’re trying to solve.

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Questioning Techniques; asking questions effectively 

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Questioning Techniques; asking questions effectively 

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Planning Call Questions; Applying Reports 

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Planning Call Questions; Applying Reports 

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Planning Call Template-Single Day-Applying Reports and Informing Instruction-1

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What The Characteristics Of A Good Question Are

"If I had an hour to solve a problem, and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask... for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
- Albert Einstein

That's how significant a good question is. It is a powerful tool that can cause the desired impact and invoke the right emotions and thoughts. A good question can ignite creativity and also educate students.

While developing good questions may seem like a pretty straightforward task, it is not as simple as it looks. A good question needs to have a personality of its own which is made of specific characteristics. Here are some of the most essential characteristics of a good question.

1. Relevant

A good question is relevant. It focuses on recall of only the material covered in your lesson and aligns well with the overall learning objectives.

If you ask 'What are the branches of soil science?' for an introductory lesson that focused on only the type of soil, then it doesn't really qualify as a relevant question. A better and more relevant question in this context would be 'What are the characteristics of each type of soil?'.

2. Clear

A good question is framed in a clear, easily understandable language, without any vagueness. Students should understand what is wanted from the question even when they don't know the answer to it.

The question 'What are your rights?' might be perceived as confusing and vague since it doesn't specifically state which rights are sought. On the other hand, if you ask 'What basic rights are covered under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?', the same question becomes clear and specific.

3. Concise

A good question is usually crisp and concise. It omits any unnecessary information that requires students to spend time understanding it correctly. The idea is not to trick learners but assess their knowledge.

Consider this question for example: 'Since distemper in canines affects several body systems like the gastrointestinal tracts, respiratory tracts, spinal cord, and the brain, how should canines be treated for it?'. This question gives a lot of information than what is required. It could simply be rephrased as 'How to treat distemper in canines?'.

4. Purposeful

A question without a definite purpose has no value. The purpose helps evaluate the question against some set benchmarks. A good question can seek both innate and specific knowledge.

A question stating 'What is the capital of France?' requires the student to just exercise their memory to answer it. And if that is the purpose you have set, the question is totally justified. But if the purpose is to evaluate and enhance the student's ability to reason, the same question might need to be stated as 'How Paris is well located to be the capital of France?'.

5. Guiding But Not Leading

A good question guides the learners towards understanding the concept in the picture. But at the same time, it doesn't lead them to specific answers.

For example, 'Since infant formula is a safe substitute for breastmilk, should its use be normalized?' is an extremely biased question that assumes formula to be safe for infants and leads users to state a 'yes' for an answer. Instead, this question could simply be rephrased as 'Do you think the use of infant formula needs to be normalized?'.

6. Stimulates Thinking

A good question requires learners to think through and recall the concepts taught. It doesn't patronize them by asking the obvious.

'Can you survive without water?' is the perfect example of a question that doesn't stimulate any thinking because questions a universally accepted fact. 'How long does it take to die from the lack of water?' might be a better question in this regard.

7. Single-Dimensional

Remember, one question is one question. And hence, a good question focuses on one dimension at a time. If there are multiple ideas to evaluate, it is better to split them into multiple questions.

'When did World War II begin and why was it fought?' is a multi-dimensional question that requires students to examine two things at a time. It is recommended to divide it into two distinct questions to facilitate easier and better recall: 'When did World War II begin?' and 'Why was World War II fought?'.

That's all about good questions, their power, and their characteristics. Interestingly, these days you do not need to rely solely on manual efforts if you are frequently tasked with question creation. You could make use of AI-powered automatic question generation tools. And once your question set is ready with a plethora of good questions, refer to this interesting guide on building stellar learning quizzes.

Hope you enjoyed reading this article. I would love to know your thoughts.

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Check seven Characteristics Of A Good Question and discover all those useful aids that can help you with question and quiz creation.

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https://www.fastcompany.com/3001537/how-ask-and-listen-you-mean-it

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Questions are the expressive, probing language for growing others; listening is the receptive, facilitating language for growing others. These two complementary approaches form a continuous growth conversation loop. The deeper the questions, the deeper the listening; the deeper the listening, the deeper the next question. As we dig together with each tool, we mutually excavate new discoveries. As a result, the learning is never one-sided; it is a co-created process that engenders empathy, trust, and collaboration.

Innovators working on solving problems and coming up with creative solutions rely on crafting the right questions. Leaders who are helping others to grow and innovate are always trying to craft the best questions to make a difference. Not only do innovators make asking questions an integral part of their lives, and ask more questions than non-innovators, they also ask more provocative ones-questions that provoke deep insight and understanding. Developing other leaders through questioning not only helps them grow, but it forces them to own their unique learning experiences.

Imagine yourself in your next team meeting. Observe and check your impulses to be the expert, the problem solver, or the holder of the most seasoned experiences and perspectives. See yourself using questions more to:

Challenge yourself to look at solutions from a different point of view.

Stay in the state of curiosity longer to sort out where others are coming from.

Probe deeper into motivations, perspectives, and experiences.

Bring the "unspeakable" question to the surface.

Challenge the status quo to move the conversation to the next level.

Build on what is being said and take it one or two steps further.

Engage with people at a deeper level.

What would be the impact to your team and organization if you leveraged the power of questions more? What would happen if you used your drive, analytical capabilities, and intelligence to help others to grow versus having the answers and solving the problems?

Following an extended period of international travel and organizational stress, an extremely self-confident, expressive senior executive lost her voice. She didn't just have a common cold; she had full-blown laryngitis. Unable to speak for 60+ days, she was forced to step back and listen. Her perception of her team changed radically. She saw her staff much more involved, expressive, and creative. Discussions were more uninhibited, free flowing, and creatively productive. Over time, she found that even her contributions of flip chart scribbles occasionally got in the way. "Listening showed me a way to do less but accomplish more. My team understands my vision, expectations, and values. I realize that what I need to do is discipline myself now to listen more and interfere less."

Questions without authentic listening are thinly veiled challenges, judgments, and assertions; challenging questions with authentic listening activates latent power, potential, and collaboration.

How often do we pause to be genuinely present with someone? How often do we really hear what the other person is saying and feeling versus filtering it heavily through our own immediate concerns and time pressures? Authentic listening is not easy. We hear the words, but rarely do we really slow down to listen and squint with our ears to hear the emotions, fears, and underlying concerns. Despite its value-creating properties, listening is rare for many leaders, and this lack of listening is one of the key reasons leaders derail.

We have observed three common pitfalls that inhibit people from stepping back for authentic listening:

When we see ourselves as the quintessential expert, the most experienced or accurate person in the room, we position ourselves to fall into a listening black hole. Others with valuable insights defer rather than speak up, diminishing rather than strengthening leadership teams. The kiss of death for collaboration, connection, and innovation is moving too quickly to our own perceived "right" answer. Slow down, and challenge yourself to pause and to listen a few minutes longer to move from transaction or hyperaction to transformation.

When conversations or meetings don't reflect our point of view or are not intellectually challenging enough, we may get impatient or bored. Our inner voice, drowning out other voices in the room, says, "They are not getting it!" They may not be getting your solution, but they are getting something, possibly something valuable but hidden to you. If we are too caught up in our judgmental self-conversation, we can never really genuinely listen and hear what is going on around us. We lose on multiple levels: we don't learn; we don't know what is happening; we don't connect; and we don't innovate. Fight your impatience and boredom by looking deeper. Pause to question: What are they seeing and understanding that I don't see? What are the beliefs underneath what is being said? What are the hopes and fears underneath the surface? Stretch yourself mentally and emotionally to stay engaged by looking deeper. Remember, you can always disagree or reframe the conversation later, but as St. Francis advised, "Seek first to understand."

Sometimes listening is challenging because we want to do something, not just hear about it. Our hyperactive impulses derive from our certainty that we know the solution and reactively want to implement it. However, it isn't always optimal to rush in with the answers, unintentionally creating dependency, stunting the growth of others, and sacrificing transformative breakthroughs. Pause a bit longer to let groups struggle and strain more as they explore ideas, options, and deeper solutions. Listen to how they are collaborating, resolving conflict, and problem solving. Give introverts space to speak up. Step back more and step in only when absolutely necessary.

Pausing to listen to the needs, concerns, and aspirations of our key people is crucial to growing talent. If you find yourself rushing about from meeting to meeting, project to project, and rarely pausing to check in with your key people, your team and organizational risk is mounting. Having deeper developmental discussions, really engaging people, communicates care and connection. Pausing for developmental dialogue elevates the business conversation from management tactics to leadership excellence.

Try practicing authentic listening. Be with people and have the goal to fully understand the thoughts and feelings they are trying to express. Use your questions and comments to draw them out, to open them up, and to clarify what is said rather than expressing your view, closing them down, and saying only what you want. Not only will this help you to understand the value and contribution the other person brings, it will create a new openness in the relationship that will allow you to express yourself and be heard more authentically as well.

Authentic listening creates the platform for true synergy and team effectiveness. Valuing and attending to different perspectives from diverse sources results in a more complete understanding of issues and more elegant solutions. Authentic listening is the soul of growing others.
Reprinted by permission of Berrett-Koehler. Excerpted from THE PAUSE PRINCIPLE: Step Back to Lead Forward, copyright 2012 Kevin Cashman. All rights reserved. Kevin Cashman is a Senior Partner, CEO & Board Services, Korn/Ferry International. He is recognized as a pioneer in leadership development and executive development, focusing on optimizing executive, team, and organizational performance.
[ Image: Flickr user Joe Philipson]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Questions are the expressive, probing language for growing others; listening is the receptive, facilitating language for growing others. These two complementary approaches form a continuous growth conversation loop. The deeper the questions, the deeper the listening; the deeper the listening, the deeper the next question.

# data[].attributes.headline
Questioning Techniques; asking questions effectively 

# data[].attributes.subject
Questioning Techniques; asking questions effectively 

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.fastcompany.com/3001537/how-ask-and-listen-you-mean-it

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Questions are the expressive, probing language for growing others; listening is the receptive, facilitating language for growing others. These two complementary approaches form a continuous growth conversation loop. The deeper the questions, the deeper the listening; the deeper the listening, the deeper the next question. As we dig together with each tool, we mutually excavate new discoveries. As a result, the learning is never one-sided; it is a co-created process that engenders empathy, trust, and collaboration.

Innovators working on solving problems and coming up with creative solutions rely on crafting the right questions. Leaders who are helping others to grow and innovate are always trying to craft the best questions to make a difference. Not only do innovators make asking questions an integral part of their lives, and ask more questions than non-innovators, they also ask more provocative ones-questions that provoke deep insight and understanding. Developing other leaders through questioning not only helps them grow, but it forces them to own their unique learning experiences.

Imagine yourself in your next team meeting. Observe and check your impulses to be the expert, the problem solver, or the holder of the most seasoned experiences and perspectives. See yourself using questions more to:

Challenge yourself to look at solutions from a different point of view.

Stay in the state of curiosity longer to sort out where others are coming from.

Probe deeper into motivations, perspectives, and experiences.

Bring the "unspeakable" question to the surface.

Challenge the status quo to move the conversation to the next level.

Build on what is being said and take it one or two steps further.

Engage with people at a deeper level.

What would be the impact to your team and organization if you leveraged the power of questions more? What would happen if you used your drive, analytical capabilities, and intelligence to help others to grow versus having the answers and solving the problems?

Following an extended period of international travel and organizational stress, an extremely self-confident, expressive senior executive lost her voice. She didn't just have a common cold; she had full-blown laryngitis. Unable to speak for 60+ days, she was forced to step back and listen. Her perception of her team changed radically. She saw her staff much more involved, expressive, and creative. Discussions were more uninhibited, free flowing, and creatively productive. Over time, she found that even her contributions of flip chart scribbles occasionally got in the way. "Listening showed me a way to do less but accomplish more. My team understands my vision, expectations, and values. I realize that what I need to do is discipline myself now to listen more and interfere less."

Questions without authentic listening are thinly veiled challenges, judgments, and assertions; challenging questions with authentic listening activates latent power, potential, and collaboration.

How often do we pause to be genuinely present with someone? How often do we really hear what the other person is saying and feeling versus filtering it heavily through our own immediate concerns and time pressures? Authentic listening is not easy. We hear the words, but rarely do we really slow down to listen and squint with our ears to hear the emotions, fears, and underlying concerns. Despite its value-creating properties, listening is rare for many leaders, and this lack of listening is one of the key reasons leaders derail.

We have observed three common pitfalls that inhibit people from stepping back for authentic listening:

When we see ourselves as the quintessential expert, the most experienced or accurate person in the room, we position ourselves to fall into a listening black hole. Others with valuable insights defer rather than speak up, diminishing rather than strengthening leadership teams. The kiss of death for collaboration, connection, and innovation is moving too quickly to our own perceived "right" answer. Slow down, and challenge yourself to pause and to listen a few minutes longer to move from transaction or hyperaction to transformation.

When conversations or meetings don't reflect our point of view or are not intellectually challenging enough, we may get impatient or bored. Our inner voice, drowning out other voices in the room, says, "They are not getting it!" They may not be getting your solution, but they are getting something, possibly something valuable but hidden to you. If we are too caught up in our judgmental self-conversation, we can never really genuinely listen and hear what is going on around us. We lose on multiple levels: we don't learn; we don't know what is happening; we don't connect; and we don't innovate. Fight your impatience and boredom by looking deeper. Pause to question: What are they seeing and understanding that I don't see? What are the beliefs underneath what is being said? What are the hopes and fears underneath the surface? Stretch yourself mentally and emotionally to stay engaged by looking deeper. Remember, you can always disagree or reframe the conversation later, but as St. Francis advised, "Seek first to understand."

Sometimes listening is challenging because we want to do something, not just hear about it. Our hyperactive impulses derive from our certainty that we know the solution and reactively want to implement it. However, it isn't always optimal to rush in with the answers, unintentionally creating dependency, stunting the growth of others, and sacrificing transformative breakthroughs. Pause a bit longer to let groups struggle and strain more as they explore ideas, options, and deeper solutions. Listen to how they are collaborating, resolving conflict, and problem solving. Give introverts space to speak up. Step back more and step in only when absolutely necessary.

Pausing to listen to the needs, concerns, and aspirations of our key people is crucial to growing talent. If you find yourself rushing about from meeting to meeting, project to project, and rarely pausing to check in with your key people, your team and organizational risk is mounting. Having deeper developmental discussions, really engaging people, communicates care and connection. Pausing for developmental dialogue elevates the business conversation from management tactics to leadership excellence.

Try practicing authentic listening. Be with people and have the goal to fully understand the thoughts and feelings they are trying to express. Use your questions and comments to draw them out, to open them up, and to clarify what is said rather than expressing your view, closing them down, and saying only what you want. Not only will this help you to understand the value and contribution the other person brings, it will create a new openness in the relationship that will allow you to express yourself and be heard more authentically as well.

Authentic listening creates the platform for true synergy and team effectiveness. Valuing and attending to different perspectives from diverse sources results in a more complete understanding of issues and more elegant solutions. Authentic listening is the soul of growing others.
Reprinted by permission of Berrett-Koehler. Excerpted from THE PAUSE PRINCIPLE: Step Back to Lead Forward, copyright 2012 Kevin Cashman. All rights reserved. Kevin Cashman is a Senior Partner, CEO & Board Services, Korn/Ferry International. He is recognized as a pioneer in leadership development and executive development, focusing on optimizing executive, team, and organizational performance.
[ Image: Flickr user Joe Philipson]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Questions are the expressive, probing language for growing others; listening is the receptive, facilitating language for growing others. These two complementary approaches form a continuous growth conversation loop. The deeper the questions, the deeper the listening; the deeper the listening, the deeper the next question.