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Two strategies for getting better answers

Posted on Jul 15, 2009 by Paul Schempp

When we need to know, we need to ask. But often times the questions we ask don’t get us the information we need. That is because asking questions is a skill, and for most people it is an undeveloped skill.

Two questioning strategies may improve your ability to gain better information. Preformulation and reformulation of questions help draw out answers to important questions.

Preformulation gives orientation and clarity to a question. It cues that a question is coming and provides the context for answering it. The following illustrates the point. The first question is asked with no preformulation, whereas the second makes use of the strategy.
Question One: “What is the first thing a sales person should do upon meeting a prospective client?”
Question Two: “If relationships are important in sales, what is something a sales associate might do upon first meeting a prospective client?"

Reformulation reworks an original question and offers greater specificity. The original question may have been too challenging, ambiguous, or general. Reformulation narrows the question to align it more closely with an acceptable answer. Reformulation therefore repackages the question until only the simplest response is necessary. The following is an example.
Original Question: “What is the best method for motivating our employees?”
Reformulated Question One: “What are some methods that have proven successful in the past for increasing employee performance?”
Reformulated Question Two: “What incentive could we provide office workers to process invoices faster?"
Reformulated Question Three: “If we tied bonus pay to invoices processed per month, would more invoices get processed by our office staff?"

Remember: getting a quality answer is first and foremost dependent on the quality of questions we ask.

Tagged: interviewing, questioning, answers, management skills, leadership skills, listening skills, process improvement, productivity