Question Crafting
/Open questions are powerful. They work so well because they multi task for us – they work on several levels, but basically they do two jobs at once. They make the other person think, and start the process of them accepting responsibility, and they communicate so much of the position that we are taking as the coach – acceptance, confidence, belief, the fact that there is a solution, the fact that there are other options, support; the fact they are not alone. So if asking open questions is so fundamental, we better get good at them. We better realise that question crafting is one of our core processes. I work really hard to craft the best possible questions I can. And then its simple – I make them answer!
Of our 6 open questions, each has its own unique purpose. ‘Who’, ‘when’ and ‘where’ are often looking for facts so we can stretch the other person to consider other factual data. However we should be wary of asking these 3 questions as the risk is that we will get seduced into the drama that is their problem and end up inevitably offering solutions.
‘How’ is looking for process or options and ‘why’ is for motivation or to give confidence. We do need to be a bit careful of asking ‘why’ questions as if there is the slightest threat, anxiety or adrenaline flying about, a ‘why’ question can be received as accusatory and will produce a defensive answer. Unless the trust levels are very high, I often try and convert a ‘why’ question into a what question. For example instead of asking “why didn’t you delegate the meeting to your junior?” I might rephrase it as “what made you decide that you needed to take the meeting personally rather than delegate it?” In doing so I respectfully endow the other person with having made a conscious decision. If they did then they’ll calmly explain their thinking. If they didn’t then they will have no issue in telling me this and then very likely moving straight to self correction.
Most of the questions I ask are ‘what’ questions. ‘What’ is looking for the objective or the purpose and often a simple ‘what’ question is all it takes to unlock someone’s’ thinking since they become clear on the goal.
So these are my favourite ‘What’ questions. Carry them round as a ‘stock’ to be called on at any time. However, having said they are my favourites, they are by no means the only questions you will hear me ask. These are true ‘open’ questions in that they contain no hint of potential answers and that is powerful, but neither do they contain any helpful context or potential avenues of exploration. And so the real trick is for you to add that context to your questions and to truly personalise them.
Adding context means you can give some strategic structure to the other person’s thinking, and you can add your experience in your questions.
What do you think?
What are you trying to achieve?
What would you do if you had to decide right now?
What’s stopping you?
What bothers you most about this?
What are you struggling with?
What’s the real problem?
What options are there?
What else could you do?
What’s the right thing to do?
And if you can only remember three?
‘So what?’ sounds so blunt doesn’t it? Yes it is, but it’s a very effective question, and if your relationship is strong, the other person can take the bluntness. Ask this one until you have genuinely got to the real issue.
‘What else?’ communicates that there might well be more to the problem, or that there may be other potential solutions. Ask this one until they are spent or about to do you violence.
‘What’s next?’ communicates that its now up to them to determine their next step, which might not be a full solution, but will certainly be a forward movement.
Getting even more subtle, using ‘would, ‘could’ and ‘might’ give choice to the other person. Asking someone “what are you going to do?” is asking a left brain question forcing them to give you a decision. We tend to ask this type of question far too early in our exchanges, because we want to get on with things. Asking them “what could you do?” or “What might you do?” are right brain questions that communicate to them that its ok for them not to give us the answer, but to spend a few minutes exploring options.
Coaching for Ownership
Then there are the questions that you can use if people are excusing themselves by blaming someone or something else – externalising. We all do it. Its natural to blame something else if we are blocked and feel that we have tried everything or when we simply do not know what to do next or, more often, when we get fixated on something we have been promised or have been expecting.
What are you waiting for?
What are you doing to help make it happen?
What if you knew it was never going to happen?
What are you doing to support ‘them’?
What will you do if it does not happen?
What if you had to act today?
What’s stopping you?
What do you suspect you’ll end up doing?
A typical example in business is where the IT system does not (yet) give us a report we ‘need’ to be able to act, or where we are waiting for information from another source. So these questions go to the heart of ownership. My experience is that when asked these questions, and when forced to answer, people tend to come up with what proves to be the final answer – the best solution. Everything they are saying is actually a series of very powerful reasons for them not to act – not to risk.
And if the habit of asking open questions is critical, then another habit we need to develop is being insistent in asking the same question until we get an answer. A typical answer to some of the above questions will be ‘it’s not as simple as that’. Just keep going………because the other person has just admitted one of their biggest blocks – the fact that they over complicate things. Over complicating things is extremely convenient. It gives us more time to procrastinate and a great excuse if we fail. But as a coach, our role is to help the other person simplify things, to reduce their issues to basics so that they can see clearly what is blocking them. We are doing everything in our power to be non-threatening, and yet we can be asking the most challenging questions. This is how we start to become more skilled as Coaches, and when the joy of being a crafter of great questions starts to overcome the more ingrained desire to be the problem solver.
Article excerpted from “And The Leader Is…” - by Gareth Chick
About the Author:
Gareth Chick is a 40 year corporate veteran with a global profile. His career has included hugely successful spells as CFO, CEO and Chairman in both public and private sectors, including private equity. What makes Gareth's experience unique is that he combined those executive roles with a part time career as a leadership trainer, researching psychology, neuroscience and psychotherapy to create leadership development programmes used now by many major global corporations. In the last 15 years Gareth has trained over 5000 managers and served as Executive Coach to over 200 senior execs including FTSE100 CEOs and Fortune 500 VPs. As Founder of Collaborative Equity LLP, “promoting corporate cultures and sustainable business models of shared ownership, shared responsibility and shared rewards", Gareth acts as consultant to many global leaders, specialising in first time CEOs and Start Up founders. ↠ find out more at ceq.com
