Asking good questions explored ? Not moving forward in your career, business, marriage, or fill in the blank ? It could be because you are not asking the right questions. You need to be good at asking questions. You might not be getting the feedback you need to make corrections in your behavior. You might not be getting type of answers that you need to hear. You also might just be getting downright wrong information. What Do You Want? When you ask a question, you have to know what you want for an answer. I spent quite a few years in the military. We had intelligence reports coming in; we needed data, not someone. That meant we wanted strictly the information. We did not want any interpretation. When you are asking questions, make sure you put it in the right context. Other times you might want someone. Asking amazing great questions is skill like any other skill, it takes practice. Here are some techniques to draw out what you need to know. Instead, ask an open- ended question. By using an open- ended question you get insights and additional information you might not have known existed. ASKING QUESTIONS IN LEARNER ENGLISH: FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF MAIN AND EMBEDDED. Asking Good Questions. How to Ask Amazingly Good Questions. You want to be able to ask good questions. What if I would try to stop asking yes/no questions and try to stop. If the ability to form good questions was. Her drawings became amazingly complex with all. 6 Questions to Stop Asking Yourself Productivity by Jill Harness . How to Be Amazingly Good at Asking Questions. Set a Goal For Yourself. Dig Deeper. Always consider using follow- up questions. Unless you are looking strictly for the facts, there is some sort of assumption in the answer the person gives you. Ask them a follow up question such as, . Your co- worker tells you that one of the suppliers has been very difficult to work on the project. You will want to follow up on that comment. It may not be because the supplier is particularly difficult to work with but rather is not reachable for quick communications or any number of outside reasons. Follow up questions give you insight and let you make your own opinions about things. Use the Power of Silence. Start getting comfortable with asking a question, waiting for response, listening to the response and then waiting some more. Many times the person you are questioning has more information and will bring it out when you wait for it. You have to be comfortable with that silent period before the dam breaks. ![]() Police and military interrogators use silence very effectively. People feel a need to fill the holes in the conversation and often they will then bring out the critical bit of information you seek. First, it tells the person you don. Interrupting stops their train of thought and directs the conversation the way you want, not necessarily the way it should go. Ask your question, then let the person answer it in full, even when you think you are not getting the answer you want. Listen fully to what they are saying and use that to direct them back to the topic in the next question when there is a natural pause. If time is of the essence and the person has long strayed from the topic, then of course you need to interrupt. Be as polite as possible when doing it. This shows the person that you do respect what they are saying. What I heard you say is. This implies that you probably won. During this 75 minute interactive live webinar. Brian’s top five questions to ask; Bonus Materials: Amazingly Successful. Asking Good Research/Reference Questions. Writing After the Research Question How to Be Amazingly Good at Asking Questions It is important to have some questions. Amazingly Successful Face-To-Face Solicitations. If you’re not out there asking. Ask important and revealing questions. These are the questions you should be asking at the. You could be talking to the most amazingly. These types of achievement are all good signs that they. Just get started asking questions. Your skills will improve over time. Remember that if you want good answers, they come from asking good questions. Why Aren’t You Asking Questions? It’s the kickoff meeting. You are the lead designer on the project, and this is the first meeting with everyone in the room. Your client is reciting her wish list, and you’re taking diligent notes—probably with cute, relatable doodles. An hour passes, and you’ve barely said a sentence. You’re nodding your head, scarcely making eye contact. You have some thoughts, but you aren’t speaking up. Why aren’t you speaking up? You’ve likely been burned in the past. Perhaps you’ve shared some ideas and they were turned down. You have felt embarrassed in meetings. Projects that you put your heart and soul into were changed at the last minute without your consultation or discarded, apparently without a second thought. Now, while it’s admirable to be an agreeable, easy- to- work- with colleague, being quiet and keeping your head down isn’t the answer because this is not a production line. You are a designer, and part of your job is contributing to the conversation. It’s a designer’s job to ask good questions. You want to do your best work and meet your client’s needs, so playing an active role in the conversation is vital. To extract the most information you can from your client, you must ask questions. Think of it like playing detective, gathering clues and working to understand the players in the game. Laura Kalbag writes, “As designers, we can’t expect other people to know the right language to describe exactly why they think something doesn’t work. We need to know the right questions that prompt a client to give constructive criticism and valuable feedback.”They are looking to you as the professional to not only listen to their needs, but to also be able to identify and understand their unexpressed needs. It is not the client’s job to know exactly what their logo should be or how their website should function. They are coming to you to share ideas, to express concerns, likes, and dislikes. They are looking to you to help guide them to a solution. Clients will always ask you to make their logo bigger, prescribe solutions, and ask you to do things that will make you smack your forehead. You can roll your eyes at how much they don’t understand about design or you can roll up your sleeves and begin practicing your craft by helping them clarify what they need. Mike Monteiro from his brilliant and on point book Design is a Job. First, understand the end users’ needs. It’s pretty likely that your client isn’t the main user of the website or product you are designing. Even if they are amazing at articulating exactly their tastes and preferences, it’s beside the point because they are not the target audience. If you are fortunate enough to be on a project that dedicates resources to user research, familiarize yourself with its findings. If you do not have access to this information, ask a few questions about who the end user is and what their needs are to better understand the target audience you are actually designing for: Who exactly do you anticipate will be using this website? Or. What will they accomplish by using this website? User experience consultant and writer Paul Boag simplifies this on 2. A client’s natural inclination will be to give you his personal opinion on the design. This is reinforced because you ask them what they think of the design. Instead ask them what their users will think of the design.”It is also possible that the client thinks they understand what the end user needs, but they are only working from assumptions. This is apparent when sweeping generalizations and blanket statements are made. As Laura Kalbag says, “Throughout the design process, we need to check our hidden assumptions about our users. We should also ensure any feedback we get isn’t based upon an unfounded assumption. If the client says the users won’t like it, ask why. Uncover the assumption—maybe it’s worth testing with real users?”Establish attainable business goals. This is a conversation that I still struggle with. A lot of companies are good at coming up with lofty business goals that can be interpreted into almost anything, and are usually difficult to measure. The conversation may start out up in the clouds, but by talking about business goals you are helping to break down assumptions, learn about your client’s current expectations, and set their expectations going forward. For example, if the assumption is that by redesigning their website they will generate more leads, you need to establish clear language around what that means and what success looks like to them. Daniel Ritzenthaler suggests “Taking the Guesswork Out of Design” by using “a modified acceptance criteria exercise . When you hear information from the source, you get the original version and you also have the chance to ask for more clarity. If you are not sure who the key players are, here are a few preparatory questions you can ask to get that information: Who initiated this project? Ask any question that comes to mind that will help you better understand the issue at hand. Ask follow- up questions if there is something that still isn’t clear to you. You may have to ask the same question a few different ways before getting a response that gives you the information you’re looking for. Read between the lines. In one person’s mind, “add more pictures” could mean a photo gallery of thumbnails at the bottom on the page. Another person might imagine this as the giant background image that they saw on someone else’s site and they want exactly what that person has. And yet a third person is picturing replacing most of the text on the page with infographics. Here’s an example: you are working on a web design and the client doesn’t think there are enough images on the mockup you provided. Ask: What value will adding more images provide? By asking these questions, you are helping the client see the bigger picture and preserve the value of the brand or message. Try generic questions. If you’re not sure what the right question is, you can keep it really simple by using one of the following go- to phrases: Why? Do not muddy up your question with “ummm,” “er,” “like,” “whatever,” or “you know.” A clear question has a better chance of getting a clear answer. You’re going to annoy someone. Truth is, it is possible that some people may get annoyed with the questions. Don’t let this deter you. You have a job to do and clues you need to gather. Explain why it is necessary that you truly understand the problem you are all here to solve together, and explain that in the long run it will likely save a lot of time. Thank them for their understanding and cooperation (even if they are being quite the opposite of cooperative). If a client appears frustrated or annoyed that you are asking so many questions, it may be because they thought they had it all figured out. You just made them realize that they haven’t even begun to figure it out. What was supposed to be a “quick” web design has become a bigger project, one that requires real thought and effort. They may feel frustrated that it won’t be the quick fix they initially expected. That’s not your fault! You’re doing the client a favor in the long run by ensuring that all parties are on the same page and making the best decisions together. Read the room. If your client comes across as agitated by speaking more loudly, constantly interrupting, or suddenly becoming very short with responses, try to assess how you are coming off in this meeting. Are you talking more loudly or interrupting? Do you think he feels like his answers are being heard? In that scenario, taking a more laid- back approach by leaning back in your chair a little, speaking somewhat more slowly and softly, and relaxing your face may help the meeting move in a more productive direction. Test engagement. You need your clients to be engaged to get the most information. If they are not making eye contact, not participating in the conversation, or are busy on their phones, they may not be engaged. By simply pausing and allowing silence, you may be able reengage the client. Or test their engagement by asking a couple of questions: Are we discussing what you had hoped we would? Use this time to assess the situation and formulate your next questions. Play nice. Don’t give the impression that you are trying to prove them wrong; this isn’t a pissing contest. Approach the conversation with genuine curiosity and a lot of empathy. You are both working toward the same goals here. When you ask a question, really take time to listen to the response. Chances are the client feels awkward, too, and will start talking, giving you even more information. Lifehack has some tips worth reading on how to be amazingly good at asking questions. Your work reflects your level of understanding. Until we have the ability to project images with our minds (why don’t we have this yet?), or unless your client is an amazing sketch artist, asking questions and piecing the clues together is our most effective tool to understand their expectations, and help them see the bigger picture along the way. If you leave the room without asking any questions, there is no way you can really understand what is being asked of you. You might annoy someone along the way, but your work will have so much more meaning and, in the end, your clients and their end users will see the added value in your work.
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