“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” ― Voltaire

A good question can help you uncover new ideas, the real cause of an issue, a novel way to solve a challenge or a way to innovative. It can also open up new possibilities. But only if you focus on asking good questions and truly listening to the answers.

There are different types of questions and many situations where one will have more impact than another. In the context of general business conversation, here are 5 tips for asking great questions: 

  1. Ask open questions (ones that start with who, what, when, how, why)
  2. Dig deeper. Listen to the answers and ask follow up questions
  3. Ask people to do their own critical thinking. You can do this by asking questions such as “What are the possible outcomes that might occur?” or “What are the positive and negative implications from this for us/customers/suppliers”?
  4. The power of silence. Let people speak freely and think through their answers, especially if it’s an impromptu conversation.
  5. Listen. Being a great listener adds so much power to your questions.