asking good questions

The Honest Fallacy of Yes/No Questions

20 Jan

Questions like, “Do you understand?” “Does that make sense?” and “Will you do that for me?” elicit responses that may have the best intentions, but may not be correct.

When you delegate or assign a task or project, whether it is to a colleague or employee on your team, the final step is to test that they understand what you have described. The best way to do that is to ask them questions to ensure they are ready to move forward, like questions about what they will do first, what they see as the main components, and conversation about timelines and project steps.

However, what many busy people do instead is explain ‘very clearly’ what needs to be done, twice if necessary, and then ask a question like: “Does that make sense?” to which most people will respond, “Yes.”

And the problem with that is….?

They may think they understand, but the journey from your head to your mouth is long enough, let alone the distance to their ears and their mind! Things get lost along the way.
They may have received too much information and need to go process, so they need to tell you “yes” so you let them go and start working on it.
They know what they will do, whether or not it is exactly what you have asked.

And these things are usually done with the best of intentions.

But, that is the problem with “yes/no” questions. A “Yes,” like the nod of a head, tells you very little. People think, process and begin to act based on what they are thinking. People do the most thinking when they are talking, not when you are. They way to get them talking about the subject at hand is to ask effective questions. And the worst question, even for a two-year old is, “Repeat back to me what I just told you.”

So, how do we ask better questions? First, you must be more curious than you are rushed.

Then, ask questions that force the person to process the information, like:

How do you see yourself going about this project/task?
What will you do first?
How will you determine the first step?
What will be the most difficult part?
What are you most concerned about?
What is a question you have right now?

All this must take into account the fact that there are analytic thinkers in our organizations who need some time to process the information in order to figure out the first step. In these cases, the conversation does not end with, “Do you understand?” but instead with, “Take 24 hours to think through what we’ve talked about, and let’s get together tomorrow at 10am to discuss your first steps, and so I can answer any questions that have come up since then.”

Yes-No Questions will rarely get you the true picture, despite how honest your team is trying to be!

Test Understanding – The Secret to Accountability

16 Jul

by Bridget DiCello

If you want to be able to hold others’ accountable, you must have something concrete to hold them accountable to. Most of the time, people are held accountable to what you expect them to do or how you expect them to act.

This requires that your explanation of your expectations is very clear in the first place. You can plan what you will say, outline your expectations and speak clearly and concisely, but you will not know if your message has been understood unless you test understanding.

The best way to test understanding is to get the other person to talk about what you believe they agree. You could ask them to just repeat it back to you, but that is demeaning and doesn’t necessarily mean they really understand it.

Instead, ask open ended questions in a curious and nurturing way to get them talking so you can see what they are thinking:

What do you think is the best way to approach this?
What is the first piece you are going to tackle? What is the first step you will take? The next step?
What is your biggest concern about that?
When would you expect to have that part completed?
What do you need from me?
It needs to be done in 30 days; can you map out how you plan to schedule the work?
What is it that I can do to help/support you?
Why don’t you email me with your status update on Friday?
Is Tuesday after lunch a good time to stop into my office to share a progress report.
What do you expect to be the hardest/most difficult part?
What questions do you have?
If… then questions: We can realistically expect [obstacle] to be an obstacle. If that happens, what is your plan to address it?
What will you need to do differently than what you have been doing?
How will you approach this differently than the last project like this?
How do you feel we can do this even better/more successfully?

This does not mean that we fail to allow our employees to make intelligent decisions or have some freedom in how they operate. It does however, mean that if they are not doing what we expect, when we expect it, we must first go back and audit our own style of delivering the message in the first place.

By asking even just a few of these questions, you may either be pleasantly surprised with the plan in their head or shocked at how little they really understood the urgency, important milestones and timeline.

Strengthening Customer Relationships

14 May

by Bridget DiCello

Are your customers happy? How do you know? Because they pay the bill and haven’t complained? Do you think there is a level of service you could provide that would take your customer relationship to a new level?

I’ll be honest, there are definitely times when talk of customer service wears me out! My customers are wonderful, I enjoy every moment with them, am delighted when I find a way to serve them even better and find innovative solutions that facilitate their even greater success.

But, when I think about how I can serve the customer better, the first thought is that I need to spend more time, more energy and give more for each dollar received. Then, I realize that there is great potential to deliver more value in innovative ways.

And the most innovative solutions ever discovered, especially in less technical businesses, come from an understanding of the customer’s need more clearly and delivering a service or product that meets their needs, solves their problem and deliver results they never thought were possible.

In a way, it’s the old, “Work smarter not harder.” But, let’s pinpoint the ‘smarter’ work to be purposeful conversations with customers about their needs and expectations. They may never have had the time to spend to get a very accurate and clear picture about what they need from you. They say they need X, you do a good job with X, offer it at a fair price, have built a strong, trusting relationship, so you do business together.

When you want to know if you are doing a good job. You may send a survey or call and ask:

“How are we doing?” The customer says, “Fine.”

You say, “How did we do on the last order?” Customer says, “Good, it went well.”

You say, “Is there anything else we can do to make life easier for you?” Customer says, “I don’t think so, you are all doing a really great job. Thanks!”

You say, “Okay. Please feel free to call if you need anything!” Customer says, “Okay!”

You invite them to golf, talk about the spouse, children and football, and the relationship builds.

There is still valuable information in their head that could take that relationship to the next level. This standard conversation is pleasant, the customer may feel like they are being honest, and you are showing your concern. If there was a problem with the order, this is an opportunity to find out, rectify this situation, and make sure it does not happen again.

What if you asked questions more along the lines of:

“Thank you for your business! On your last order, how did we do on a scale of one to ten?”

“If we could change one thing, anything, even if it seems impossible, about the process, what would you like to see change?” Customer says, “You’re great!” You respond, “Really, I’d love to know, even if it seems impossible.”

“What is a frustration in your business in the area [of your expertise, industry, the area in which you interact with them] that you’d love to see resolved?

Don’t take their time with nicety conversations and surface questions. Spend your time with them wisely. Find out what they really think, desire and would love to see different. Even if it’s impossible now, keep it on your radar and look for the next opportunity to build a relationship based on amazing service, not just a consistent good job.

asking good questions

The Honest Fallacy of Yes/No Questions

Test Understanding – The Secret to Accountability

Strengthening Customer Relationships

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