The Power In Asking Questions
Creative people are invariably intelligent people and they’re curious about themselves, those around them, and the world in which they live. This is the kind of curiosity that’s been called one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.
Questions are the creative acts of the intelligent. And the questions that work hardest for us and bring us the greatest amount of useful information are the open-ended questions. Now these questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no, they’re asked by using the six W’s, H, and I technique; who, what, when, where, why, which, how, and if.
Rudyard Kipling put it this way:
“I had six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names were where and what and when and why and how and who.” All we’re doing is adding two more, which and if.
Now, this isn’t entirely new to us. We employ the six W’s, H, and I all the time when we were children. Have you ever tried to count the number of times each day a four or five year old uses the word why?
You see, each question a child asks is an attempt to add to his limited knowledge. When adults lose patience with this constant barrage of questions, the child either finds some other way of getting the information or just forgets the whole thing, thereby neglecting a valuable tool he’ll want later in life, the open ended question.
Now, as adults, we know that inside the mind of each person we meet there is some knowledge that could benefit us if only we could learn what it is. The open-ended question technique really opens people up.
By asking open-ended questions, we get people to lose the barriers that normally keep this information out of our grasp. Human beings like to talk about things that interest them. Open-ended questions let people know we want to hear their ideas, opinions and thoughts.
Each of us has two ears and one mouth and it seems to be a good idea to do twice as much listening as talking. An old Texas friend of mine used to say “you ain’t learning nothing while you’re talking.”
But the object of asking open-ended questions isn’t merely to get other people to talk. We can spend days standing around gabbing with people who have very little to say that would benefit us. Instead, the object of our who, what, when, where, why, which, how, and if questions is to gather, absorb, and utilize that information which will be useful to us, move us ahead in the fields of our own interests and endeavors.
But in so doing, we’re also employing the best technique known for making friends, for success in human relations, and for selling our own ideas. Oddly enough, the more we listen, the better conversationalists we seem to the person doing the talking.
One of this country’s top newsmen set an example of this kind of purposeful questioning. He knew how to ask open-ended questions so provocatively that he could almost always get world leaders to give him exclusive interviews. His questions earned him the highest position in his field; that of chief executive for one of the great news services.
And, the open-ended question is equally useful for the businessman. Suppose, for instance, you just met a Mr. Smith who’s an official of the company operating in an area different from your own. Instead of talking about the weather, you might ask him, “Mr. Smith how did you get into your line of work?” Here’s a man who obviously has some degree of success in business. So, you stand an excellent chance of learning something that’ll be useful to you.
One of the best salesmen I know uses open-ended questions to a great advantage when he’s talking to a prospect. Instead of saying we make the best thingamabob in the world, he asks Mr. Prospect, when you buy a thingamabobs, what features are most important for you.
Here’s an effective method for taking people off the offensive, by getting them to talk to your advantage. This technique works well for anyone who’ll give some thought to what he’s going to say rather than just blurting out the first thing that pops into his mind. So, ask skillfully probing open-ended questions and ask them in a sincere, courteous manner.
Anyone who uses these six W’s, H, and I technique wisely, courteously, and with those people who can contribute something to his understanding, will quickly find this to be one of his most useful creative techniques.
The best way I know to practice asking open-ended questions is to try out a few on myself. If this sounds like a good idea, you might want to try it too. Ask yourself who has a greater knowledge of my job than I? What can I do to learn some of the things he knows that I don’t? Why must my job be done this way? And, if there is a better way to do my job, what would it be?
The housewife and the student can make up a similar set of questions that would be just as stimulating in their own fields. Take time to ponder these questions. They’re answers, the facts, and information you’ll gain can make your life more interesting and rewarding. And, whenever you talk with others, use lots of open-ended questions. They’re your most valuable creative tools.