Wise people ask questions that enlighten others.
Good questions inform. Great questions shift thinking.
7 Ways to Inspire Insight with Curiosity
#1. Slow and simple is better than fast and complex.
Wise questions invite reflection. Don’t break the silence. Make space for people to process.
- What are your challenges?
- And what else?
- What’s important about that?
- What do you want?
- What’s in the way?
#2. Don’t worry about figuring things out.
Ask questions that help others figure things out.
Welcome confusion. It triggers curiosity. The collision of confusion and curiosity leads to insight.
#3. Ask one question at a time.
Curiosity calls for discipline.
If you tend to ask more than one question at a time, be open about your intention to ask one. “I realize I’m asking too many questions, let me land the plane. I really want to ask this one question….”
#4. Begin questions with “What” or “How.”
“What” and “how” are open-ended.
- What matters now?
- How would you like to deal with this?
- What’s the next step?
#5. Give feedback between questions.
Rapid-fire questions feel like the inquisition.
After listening, share what you notice. Say, “That was interesting. Here’s what I’m hearing.”
#6. Ask the second question.
Listen. Reflect. Go deep.
After you hear an answer, ask a second question.
- “I hear you saying. What brings that to mind?”
- “What else might be true?”
- “What’s important to you about that?”
#7 Listen deeply. Take brief notes.
Explain that you’re a note-taker. Taking notes is paying attention. But maintain eye contact.
Bonus: Turn toward the future when asking questions.
The past is a beginning, but leadership faces forward. What have you learned from past experience that is relevant to this situation?
Insight begins with curiosity.
How might leaders ask questions that shift thinking?
