How to Ask the Right Questions and Get the Answers You Need

If you need answers, you’d better learn how to ask the right questions.

According to “78 Important Questions Every Leader Should Ask and Answer,” by Chris Clarke-Epstein (AMACOM 2002), “Good leaders are humbled by the realization of all they do not know, and they quickly reach the conclusion that they’d better find some trusted advisors and ask a few questions. Great leaders know that asking questions of a few won’t give them enough data. To succeed, they must make asking questions of anyone and everyone their top priority.”

Questions for Every Situation

Clarke-Epstein’s book includes (as the title promises) 78 questions for almost any business situation:

• Questions leaders need to ask themselves (i.e., “What are you afraid of?”)
• Questions leaders need to ask customers (i.e., “What will you need from us in the future?”)
• Questions leaders need to ask employees about the business (i.e., “How does your work contribute to our success?”)
• Questions leaders need to answer (“How do you make decisions?”)

Techniques for Getting the Right Answers

However, Clarke-Epstein notes, getting good answers depends on the skill of the questioner. She describes five behaviors leaders need to master to increase the quality and quantity of the answers they receive.

1. Ask one question at a time. Inexperienced questioners often fall into the trap of asking a flurry of questions all at once. Usually this happens because the questioner hasn’t thought through the questions he wants to ask. Take time to figure out exactly what you need to know. Then frame a straightforward, unbiased question to elicit that information.

2. Pause at the end of a question. Silence is often overlooked as a leadership tool. Allow time for the answerer to think, formulate and deliver an answer. Staying silent after asking a question involves more than just not talking. It means keeping eye contact, staying still and feeling comfortable while you wait. Work your way up to a least a ten-second pause after a question and watch the quality of the answers you receive improve greatly.

3. Learn about listening. Most of us haven’t ever been taught to listen, been given feedback on our listening skills or even spent any time thinking about how important good listening is. Take a communication seminar and/or ask people to give you feedback on your listening skills.

4. Ask follow-up questions. This is what distinguishes a good interviewer from an average interviewer. If you don’t ask follow-up questions, it sends a message that you’re just going through the motions, and you’re not really interested in learning anything. One caveat: Asking too many follow-up questions in a row may resemble an interrogation. You can encourage clarification of points made in an answer by using verbal encouragers, such as “I didn’t know that, tell me more,” or “What else happened?”

5. Say thank you. Your mother was right, saying thank you is important. Thanking someone who’s spent time helping you by answering your questions will increase the likelihood that you’ll get more and deeper answers the next time you ask. And the way news travels in organizations, this thank-you behavior will enhance your reputation as a leader.

For more information about “78 Important Questions Every Leader Should Ask and Answer” and AMACOM’s extensive catalogue of business publications, click here.

If you would like to learn more about effective communication, consider the following AMA seminars:

• Dynamic Listening Skills for Successful Communication
• The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results