Powerful Questions

Questions are fairly essential to communication and conversation. Try and imagine a conversation without a question.It would be a fairly strange conversation wouldn't it. Questions can be used in many different ways and have a variety of effects on the person that you ask them to. Think about the defensiveness that can come from, "Where have you been", the evasiveness from children to the question of "what did you do at school today?" and the sighs that come to the potentially nagging, "have you done the job that I asked you yet." If asked carefully though questions can elicit much more rewarding responses and a powerful question can even get the recipient to start thinking in a different way. Questions can help us shift our perception and raise our awareness. They can be instrumental in helping us find the solution to problems. They can be key in setting the mood. .They can help focus the mind, and help improve strategy, vision and direction. They can precipitate change. So what is a powerful question? Any question can be powerful, but really good questions will tend to be open ended. They will not lead the receiver of the question in any one direction. Great questions will also have the ability to stop people in their tracks and redirect them to go down a route that they haven't previously considered. For example, consider the perfectionist, training to be a teacher, who has an immense fear of actually standing up in front of their first class because they want to make sure they do it absolutely right. A good question to ask that person might be, "What does the perfect teacher look like to you?" The question should move the perfectionist away from being preoccupied about teaching, to considering what exactly it is they are aspiring to. It should make the situation more manageable. Other general great questions might be , "What is the worst that can happen?", "What does success look like to you", "Why do you feel like this?" "You think so and so but why do you think that" (is it really true...)
Why don't you spend a week focussing on using great questions. Use them to empower people or to improve a situation. In an argument/heated discussion use a constructive question to redirect the energy to a more positive realm. If a friend is in a difficult situation try to ask a question that will shift their perception and expand their options. Use questions on yourself. When you ask these questions, remember to leave time for the answer to allow a more thoughtful response.