The Why and How of Asking Good Questions

Some hallmarks of JMP® software are the mission to enable and nurture curiosity, and to make finding out important answers easy. Exploring how to pose effective questions can make learning more efficient and enjoyable.

In this white paper, Christine Anderson-Cook discusses the goals for asking good questions, not in a test-taking environment, but in less formal settings where collaboration and mentoring are the main objectives. We'll first talk about some of the things that can be achieved with good questions, and then explore some tactics for improving how we ask those questions.

What are some of the objectives that we might have for posing questions? Different situations call for different approaches and should match our objectives of what we are trying to accomplish in our discussions. In the first part of the paper, Anderson-Cook outlines various goals for asking questions, including:

» gathering information
» evaluation and assessment
» soliciting feedback
» challenging assumptions
» establishing rapport and inclusiveness
» validation » providing balance in relationships - allowing others to be experts
» changing the tempo or direction of the discussion
» confirming the transfer of information provided.

After considering the goals and objectives of questions, Anderson-Cook discusses how to pose them effectively, not thinking of good questions as a simple “one strategy fits all,” but rather as a case of adapting our approaches to match the objectives we have. Having discussed why asking good questions is important, Anderson-Cook next addresses the "how," focusing on three broad situational categories:

1. Evaluation and assessment. Using questions to gather particular information, likely based on clearly defined formal metrics and objectives to appraise.

2. Collaboration. How questions can build rapport and and foster a safe working environment, where members seek to ask questions with the goal to learn about areas outside their expertise, share their current understanding, synergize their collective expertise to create better solutions, as well as challenge assumptions or approaches in a non-confrontational way.

3. Mentoring. How mentors’ questions can create a safe environment, encourage inquisitiveness and help guide learning. For those being mentored, the goal with questions is to gather information, confirm the transfer of information and share their level of understanding.

Read the full paper by completing the form below.