I was attending a talk on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Nasscom in Bangalore. The last speaker on the panel summed up what she and others before her had said and then threw the floor open for questions. Dead silence.

“Aren't there any questions?” she asked. The silence continued. The audience had to be prompted before a man stood up hesitantly and aired a question. It turned out that many in the audience shared the doubt, but were hesitant to stand up and ask.

This is a familiar situation in India. Often, at seminars, workshops and business meetings the participants, are too shy to ask or simply don't have the right question in mind.

In my early days I would often think, “well, I'll wait till the session is over and ask a friend/colleague what the speaker meant.”

Then, I realised that this face-saving approach was less desirable than sounding interested and intelligent by asking the right question in the right way.

In all humility, I have, in Dale Carnegie's terminology “won friends and influenced people” by working on this skill. In this article, I'd like to discuss questions, their purpose and how to make them effective.

C-L-U-B — 4 attributes of questions:

Compliment the speaker: It shows the speaker that the audience has been listening to him, is interested in what he had to say, and wants to know more.

Learning for other listeners: Like the man I mentioned earlier, by standing up and seeking clarification, you're helping out a lot of people. If you hold back, it is a lost opportunity.

Useful to the questioner: If framed correctly, questions bring more knowledge, information and understanding, which add up to more power.

Forges a bond between the questioner and the questioned: Many times I have had the speaker respond to my e-mails and other participants share views after the session. The interaction has even brought me business later on.

So, they're really important tools if used thoughtfully and correctly.

Question the Question

What is it that you're seeking? More information? A clarification? Do you want to encourage the speaker to elaborate, or are you looking for a short, succinct answer? Do you want to persuade someone to do something or agree to do something your way? Frame the question depending on what you want.

There are several types of questions to choose from — open and close-ended ones, probing questions, binary questions, echo questions and persuasive questions.

Close-ended questions work well when we need a specific answer. “Would you suggest we speak with John about this?” or “How many people will you need to complete this project within the deadline?”

Probing questions will take you deeper into the subject. “Do you think Deepa will be able to handle the testing part of the project?” or “Do we need to introduce a Rs 1,000-fine for littering?”

Open-ended questions make for more insightful information gathering. Suppose a team member comes to you with a complaint about the working system. You say, “Right, Hari I've understood the problem. Now, what do you think we should do to rectify the situation?” This way, you're not only getting some possible solutions, you're also gaining an insight into Hari's mindset. Is he a chronic complainer, or is he genuinely interested in sorting out the problem? Also, when you make it a two-way brainstorming exercise, you're more likely to come up with a solution which works and has a buy-in from Hari too!

Leading questions are powerful tools that nudge a person into thinking his options through and coming up with the response we really want from him. “Do you think going on this course will help you upgrade your skills?” you ask a team member who has been reluctant to move out of the comfort zone of the role he's been assigned. The question will force him to look at the advantages of learning something new. He's much more likely to say “yes” and take that course, than if you opted to push him against the wall with a question that demanded “yes” for an answer. Persuasive questions are a branch of leading questions, and they're an art form in themselves. They're almost second nature to the successful salesperson. “This TV model will look so good in that corner of the room, won't it?” he gushes, and you'll find yourself nodding in agreement, or at worst, pointing to a different corner and saying it'd look better there. Either way, he's made a sale!

Personally, when I problem-solve with my team, I've found the binary question most useful. “Is budget the real hurdle, or is it time?” I ask. My team pauses to ponder, and the answer points the way out.

I will round off with some tips for effective questioning:

The art of questioning goes hand-in-hand with the art of listening.

Frame questions that are to the point.

Give the person enough time to respond.

Be courteous. If you're not satisfied with an answer, rephrase or repeat your question, but never heckle. And after you've received a response, say “Thank you”.

So why not join the questioners CLUB?

(The writer is CEO of >www.globaladjustments.com . She can be reached at >info@globaladjustments.com )

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