This “Power of Inquiry” blog was co-written with Ezra Fleishman, a copywriter in California who is a frequent contributor to our site. You can find more about Ezra on LinkedIn.
Do your questions maximize the power of inquiry?
The challenge is to ask questions so you:
- Get the information you need
- Don’t annoy the other person
- Strengthen the relationship!
This is a crucial skill for anyone looking to advance their career or improve their job performance. Read on for tips you can use to be a more strategic and effective communicator.
What is the “Power” of Inquiry?
When done well, asking questions:
- Clarifies communication
- Surfaces hidden issues
- Builds relationships
- Makes people feel heard and valued
The Keys to Success
One of the keys to asking better questions is to become a better listener. Strategic listening and Active Listening are valuable skills that we have discussed in previous articles. By mastering these important techniques, business professionals can unlock a variety of benefits including improved understanding, enhanced persuasiveness, better decision-making, and conflict resolution.
Active Listening
Here are some guidelines for “Active Listening”:
- Demonstrate engagement with non-verbal responses (i.e. eye-contact, leaning forward, nodding, or smiling)
- Provide verbal affirmations with sub-verbal cues like “um-hum”, & “yes”
- Respond with supportive statements to encourage the speaker to keep talking
- Clarify the communication by asking questions or paraphrasing, when appropriate, to ensure mutual understanding throughout
- Use open-ended questions to engage with the speaker and facilitate a deeper exploration of thought or emotion
Open-Ended Questions
Strategically using open-ended questions helps create meaningful dialogue. It taps into the power of inquiry. Closed-ended questions often lead to a simple “yes” or “no”, while open-ended inquiries encourage new thoughts, creativity, and reflection. Focus on transitioning your questions and responses from closed-ended questioning to open-ended inquiry. For example:
- Closed-Ended Question: “Can you support the plan we developed?”
- Open-Ended Question: “What do you think of the plan we developed?”
The open-ended style promotes further discussion and can help identify a person’s true thoughts or feelings. The communication style of the person you’re speaking with will determine the best questioning approach. We use the T.E.A.M. Styles model to help explain these unique characteristics. See if you can identify the style of the person you might be speaking with:
“T” or Tell Style
T’s are characterized by a tendency to be quick and direct. People with this style prefer to stay on task and complete as much work as possible in a short amount of time. They tend to stray away from social conversations. T’s are often impatient and do not want a list of complex questions. They will sometimes respond to an open ended question with a single word answer! They will appreciate you keeping your inquiry focused and brief.
When active listening with a T:
- Limit paraphrases to very short statements
- Use clear and concise questions, no compound questions
- Prioritize your questions and ask very few
- Use a mix of open and closed questions
“A” or Analyze Style:
A’s are almost the opposite of the T. They are much more deliberative in their thinking and decision-making processes. A’s provide long detailed answers and ask many questions, and expect to be approached similarly. They greatly appreciate open-ended questions that give them the opportunity to provide a complex and complete response.
When active listening with an A:
- Paraphrase with a focus on the content of their statements
- Paraphrase in detail – let them know you heard their whole, detailed message
- Ask open ended questions to give them time to process out loud if needed
- It’s ok to use compound or multi-part questions with A’s
- It’s ok to ask follow up questions and lots of questions
“E” or Engage Style:
While E’s are similar to T’s in wanting to make decisions quickly, they also prefer to focus on connecting with others and bringing a level of creativity to their work. Unlike T’s, E’s like to brainstorm in groups and bounce ideas off others. They like to talk things through and think out loud, but unlike A’s their thoughts tend to bounce around a lot more. They will respond well to thought-provoking conversations that stimulate creativity and intellectual curiosity. E’s are looking for high-level or interesting questions, not just an explanation of the details.
When active listening with an E:
- Paraphrase briefly with a focus on the big picture – E’s like to talk more than listen
- Ask open-ended questions and let them brainstorm a response
- Listen patiently as they may wander off in many directions
- Paraphrase at a high level to summarize or organize their brainstorming
- Limit the number of questions and try to avoid closed questions (they feel “interrogated” when asked too many questions)
“M” or Mediate Style:
M’s value discussions that resonate on a personal level and they prioritize interpersonal connections. People with this style are characterized by a tendency toward building strong work relationships and are looking for opportunities to do so. M’s prefers questions to have a connection to human interaction, not just data and numbers. Keep your questions open-ended and be sure to employ active listening techniques. M’s may be turned off by rapid fire questions or closed questions.
When active listening with an M:
- Focus your paraphrasing on how you perceive the M feels about the topic
- Frame your paraphrasing as a question for the M to confirm or correct
- Be sure to use open ended questions
- Show you are actively listening, M’s can read when you’re not
- Give the M time to respond, they may take a moment to frame their response, be patient
- Be sure to ask M’s questions – they often don’t volunteer what they are thinking
So… Now You Know!
The art of conversation is a multifaceted skill-set that provides the opportunity for personal and professional growth. Understanding and using these inquiry techniques will lead to positive results! Tailoring your approach to each style using the TEAM model will further enhance success! Please contact us with any questions or feedback, and take the TEAM Assessment to see which style you are.
