Why Ask Better Questions?
How many questions do you ask in a day? Is it ten, fifty, or hundreds? We ask questions all the time but rarely stop to think about what we are asking or consider who, when, where or how to ask. Yet, simple changes in the questions we ask can have a big impact.
Asking better questions can help us to get the facts we need and find innovative solutions to practical problems. It also helps us introduce important topics for discussion, sparking debate and challenging assumptions as well as building consensus and helping others to see our point of view. Better questions allow us to communicate more effectively and build open and lasting relationships with friends and colleagues.
It all starts with understanding your own unique blend of questioning strengths.
The Benefits Of Better Questioning
What are the benefits of better questioning? Better questioning can have a wide-ranging, positive impact on work and life. The benefits of better questioning fall into four key categories:
- Knowledge-seeking
- Assumption-challenging
- Problem-solving
- Relationship-building
The questioning strengths in the QSM corresponds to these four key categories. Understanding and developing your questioning strengths will allow you to harness the powerful benefits of questioning and make the most of every questioning opportunity.
It’s all about mastering your questioning strengths. The first step is to learn about your strengths by taking the Questioning Strengths Assessment.
What Is A Questioning Strength?
Questioning is such a familiar part of life and work, it’s easy to forget that it’s also a skill that we had to learn. In fact, learning to question is one of the earliest stages of our cognitive development. As with all skills, we can be better or worse at questioning, depending on how much practice as well as how intentionally we exercise and develop the relevant muscles. Our individual questioning strengths are the result of this practice and development.
The Nine Questioning Strengths
The QSM includes nine questioning strengths:
- Engager
- Enquirer
- Explorer
- Internaliser
- Interrogator
- Investigator
- Persuader
- Philosopher
- Provocateur
Each strength has a distinct profile, bringing different aspects of good questioning to bear. Great questioners will have highly developed questioning strengths, often as a result of practice and intentional development, and will know how and when to deploy each of their questioning strengths to its best advantage.
What's Involved In The Assessment?
The Questioning Strengths Assessment provides a unique insight into your individual questioning strengths. The assessment asks you to score yourself against a series of short statements, according to how much the statement reflects you and your approach to questioning. The assessment is all online and usually takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.
What Happens After I'm Assessed?
Once you have completed the assessment, you will receive a personalised report containing an overall picture of your questioning strengths profile, your scores for each of the questioning strengths, and more information about the nine questioning strengths.
Using Your Strengths In Daily Life
We have a wealth of information to help you practice, develop and utilise your strengths in daily life:
