Asking the Right Questions
Table of Contents
- The Power of Questions in Human History
- How Questions Shape Our Reality
- Why Most People Ask the Wrong Questions
- The Cost of Poor Questions
- The Science Behind Effective Questioning
- Questions for Clarifying Options
- Questions to Identify Hidden Assumptions
- Questions for Weighing Pros and Cons
- Questions to Surface Risks and Blind Spots
- Questions for Team Decision-Making
- Case Study: How Great Decisions Begin with Great Questions
- Questions to Define the Problem Correctly
- Questions that Reveal Root Causes
- Questions for Generating Creative Solutions
- Questions to Test Potential Solutions
- Questions for Implementation Planning
- Case Study: Solving “Impossible” Problems Through Questions
- Questions that Inspire and Motivate
- Questions for Effective Delegation
- Questions for Coaching and Developing Others
- Questions for Building Trust
- Questions for Navigating Difficult Conversations
- Case Study: How Great Leaders Ask Better Questions
- Questions for Self-Reflection
- Questions for Setting Meaningful Goals
- Questions for Breaking Through Limitations
- Questions for Building Better Habits
- Questions for Finding Purpose and Meaning
- Case Study: Personal Transformation Through Self-Questioning
Part II: Framework for Discovering the Right Questions
- The Layers of Assumptions
- Questions to Uncover Your Own Assumptions
- Questions to Surface Others’ Assumptions
- Reframing Assumptions into Questions
- Practice Exercises: Assumption Hunting
- Moving Beyond Symptoms to Causes
- The Five Whys Technique and Beyond
- Systems Thinking Questions
- Mapping Cause and Effect Relationships
- Practice Exercises: Root Cause Analysis
- Questions for Changing Frames
- Questions to See Through Others’ Eyes
- Questions for Time-Shifting (Past, Present, Future)
- Questions for Scale-Shifting (Zoom In, Zoom Out)
- Practice Exercises: Perspective-Taking
- The Art of Open vs. Closed Questions
- Sequencing Questions for Maximum Impact
- Creating Questions that Bypass Resistance
- Questions that Avoid Common Pitfalls
- Practice Exercises: Question Crafting
Part III: Applying the Right Questions
- Questions for Job Interviews (Both Sides)
- Questions for Crucial Conversations
- Questions for Negotiations
- Questions for Teaching and Learning
- Questions for Innovation and Creativity
- Creating Psychological Safety for Questioning
- Modeling Question-Based Leadership
- Rewarding and Recognizing Good Questions
- Implementing Question Practices in Organizations
- Case Study: Organizations Transformed by Questions
- Daily Question Practices
- Building Your Personal Question Library
- Measuring Your Question Quality
- The Lifelong Journey of Better Questions
Appendices
Next Page: Preface