Asking the Right Questions: A Mindset for Growth and Innovation
What are the thoughts that come to your head before asking a question? Should I ask? Or not? Am I being stupid to have this question? Why would they care? Am I making sense? Am I annoying the person by asking such questions? Will he/she get mad at me? Will they get disinterested? Do I have a say here? Do you feel you’re not allowed to ask? Or are you afraid that it may backfire? And hundreds of more questions like that make you question whether you’re making sense at all, or think do my opinions matter?
The reality is if you ask the right ones it shows that ‘you care’ which is one of the ways to show empathy and get to understand your users. So, ask it anyway, it’s good to be stupid for once, rather than providing solutions on the basis of assumptions, and playing blindfold.
But at the same time, if you can google the question, do it, and if that answer can be gathered from some reliable place, take it. Don’t ask just for the sake of asking. Here, I’m not saying that you ask each and every question that comes to your head, but rather ask it right away. You need to learn the art of asking the right questions in the right manner, which can reduce the risk of making wrong decisions.
Dating back to the 1970s, research suggests that people have conversations to accomplish some combination of two major goals: information exchange (learning) and impression management (liking). Recent research shows that asking questions achieves both. However, the idea is not to just ask random questions but to seek answers, look for solutions, understand pain points, remove the unknowns, and replace assumptions with well-known facts.
In most of the professions that I’m surrounded by, questions serve a larger purpose than just providing answers. Take Journalism, Law, Sales, UX, or Research, all these professions are run mainly to seek answers for the greater reason. Coming from a design and research background, my main focus relies on the day-to-day activities of UX designers and the process of asking questions in their tasks.
Being a UX designer, the ability to ask meaningful questions is a huge part of my profession. This skill is often overlooked in the UX designer’s toolkit. Research shows that there’s a direct correlation between the number of questions a designer asks throughout with a clear intent to gain insights about the subject matter to understand the right problem and the quality of the final design output. Another benefit is, as rightly said by Dan Lok-“ Whoever asks the more questions is in control of the conversation.” So, if you’re asking the right questions, in the right context, chances are you’ll be driving the conversation and ultimately the project which will give you the results on the desired outline. Asking questions acts as the symbol of someone being genuinely interested and curious to know. Out of all the other things, some of the things it can help you get better with are understanding the user better, identifying the right pain points, and improving usability.
While your brain has been stimulated now to ask questions, let’s look at and understand how to form the right questions. There are certain points you should consider before asking the questions-
- Can this be googled?
The phrase ‘there are no dumb questions’ was before the internet existed, so if you’re starting out and are completely unaware of a concept or term, Google first, or you may want to use Chat-GPT, ask next. Saves time and effort on both sides. - What impact will it have?
Imagine a use case of sitting in a discovery workshop, thinking about the possibilities of what will happen if this feature is not taken into consideration or ignored at large. Think about the impact it’ll have on the final product. Is it something that may have a major impact? Or something which can be avoided because there’s bigger fish to fry while launching an MVP. If your question may not have a bigger impact, scribble it down to be discussed later. - Do I have the answer to the 5 Ws?
To propose a solution, you need to have an understanding of what, when, where, why, and for whom to understand the problem effectively and efficiently. A tip: Go with the basic rule of thumb. In most cases, you’ll be aware of what and when, so focus more on an in-depth understanding of ‘How’ and ‘why’. - Do I understand the context right?
Being curious and wanting to know things is good. But the point that you understand the context correctly is more important than just asking questions. You may have a revolutionary idea, but if it does not fit in the product scope and context, it serves no purpose.
I hope the above-mentioned points helped you understand what needs to be kept in mind before asking questions, you can comment down below if you have anything else to ask.
Now that you know these points, you may wonder how to ask it the right way. For now, let’s dig into the below-mentioned points that will help you understand how to form the right questions and when to ask them.
Ever heard about Socrates? I’m sure you all must have heard about him, a Greek philosopher who is credited to be the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. He says,
“The disciplined practice of thoughtful questioning enables the scholar/student to examine ideas and be able to determine the validity of those ideas”.
Although, the best approach may vary depending on the situation and the conversationalists involved. Consider the following tactics Socrates specified and took into consideration while forming the questions as per his defined method.
- Be specific about your intent
If you’re not clear about your expectations from the workshop/sessions, you may end up with a lot of data moving in no direction to draw a conclusion. Know the goal of the conversation, why you’re having that conversation, and the result you are expecting it to produce. This helps you clarify and choose your points. Think if it’s going to be a qualitative, inductive, exploratory, or longitudinal session, and frame your sentences accordingly with a clear expectation. - Know when to ask open-ended questions
These kinds of questions could be wellsprings of innovation — which is often the result of finding the hidden, unexpected answer that no one has thought of before.
A wealth of research in survey design has shown the dangers of narrowing respondents’ options. For example, “closed” questions can introduce bias and manipulation. In one study, in which parents were asked what they deemed “the most important thing for children to prepare them in life,” about 60% of them chose “to think for themselves” from a list of response options. However, when the same question was asked in an open-ended format, only about 5% of parents spontaneously came up with an answer along those lines.
Although, in some cases, open-ended questions can leave too much wiggle room, inviting to dodge or lie by omission. In such situations, closed questions work better, but they need to be framed correctly. - Ask follow-up questions
Follow-up questions seem to have a special power. They signal to your conversation partner that you are listening, you care, and you want to know more. It is a great way to gain in-depth knowledge of a subject matter. People interacting with another person who asks lots of follow-up questions tend to feel respected and heard.
Specify influencing factors
The type, tone, sequence, and framing are the factors that decide how your question or sentence will be delivered to the listener/answerer. So, be precise and choosy about the vocabulary you’re using before you ask out loud. Some questions may be too sensitive to be asked in a formal tone. Decide, what tone would be the best suited for the question you’re about to ask. - Be a good listener
The secret is to ask questions that the other person will enjoy answering. To reach there, you have to actually listen and connote what the other person is trying to say.
Especially if you’re a sales professional, you’ll definitely agree with this point.
Nod, repeat, and empathize to make the other person feel heard. Then ask questions accordingly, which comes from what he has to say in the first place. Resist the urge to make assumptions, give advice, or behave like a know-it-all. - Get the sequence right
The optimal order of your questions depends on the circumstances. During tense encounters, asking tough questions first, even if it feels socially awkward to do so, can make your conversational partner more willing to open up. It has been found that people are more willing to answer sensitive questions if asked in decreasing order of intrusiveness. Avoid asking for highly sensitive/private information as the icebreaker or at the beginning of the conversation, but don’t ask questions used for small talk either. So, it’s all about the balance to keep the conversation alive, engage to dig up more information and make a genuine connection.
As said by Chris Do (Emmy award-winning designer, and the founder of The Future among many other things) “Questions are your secret weapons, it allows you to surface deeper motivations, gain clarity, challenge assumptions, and demonstrate curiosity and empathy”.
I hope the article helps you understand the importance of asking the right questions, and you may use far fewer sentences with a period and more with a question mark.
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