Relearning the Art of Asking Questions

Consider these four types of questions :

Clarifying questions(Narrow-Affirm what we know) can help uncover the real intent behind what is said. These help us understand each other better and lead us toward relevant follow-up questions. “Can you tell me more?” and “Why do you say so?” both fall into this category.

Adjoining questions(Wide-Affirm what we know) are used to explore related aspects of the problem that are ignored in the conversation. Questions such as, “How would this concept apply in a different context?” or “What are the related uses of this technology?” , “How would these insights apply in Canada?”

Funneling questions(Narrow-Discover something new) are used to dive deeper. We ask these to understand how an answer was derived, to challenge assumptions, and to understand the root causes of problems. Examples include: “How did you do the analysis?” and “Why did you not include this step?”

Elevating questions(Wide-Discover something new) raise broader issues and highlight the bigger picture. “Taking a step back, what are the larger issues?” or “Are we even addressing the right question?” or “Instead of talking about these issues separately, what are the larger trends we should be concerned about? How do they all tie together?” These questions take us to a higher playing field where we can better see connections between individual problems.

Leaders should encourage people to ask more questions, based on the goals they’re trying to achieve, instead of having them rush to deliver answers.

https://hbr.org/2015/03/relearning-the-art-of-asking-questions