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6 Ways to Improve Your Questioning Skills as a Manager · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Having good questioning skills as a manager gives you a massive advantage in doing your job.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Reasons why you should improve your questioning skills as a manager include Firstly, it gives you a better understanding of the problems and the challenges you are facing, making it easier to solve or overcome them.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, it enables better, more robust solutions to be created.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thirdly, it helps you find out a lot more about what's really happening in your team and company.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, it increases the depth of your knowledge of the strengths and weaker areas of your team, which then in turn helps you manage the team better.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, it helps you build better relationships by showing more interest in others.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, better questions get you better answers.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then seventh, knowing how to ask better questions gets you better decision making.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the list goes on.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Learning how to use the right questions in different situations improves your effectiveness as a manager many times over.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be learning these six ways to improve your questioning skills.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, know your purpose before asking questions.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, how to tailor your questions to your audience.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Third, how to manage tone and body language when asking questions.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, suspend judgment for as long as possible.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, learn how to use silence.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then sixth, use active listening and aim for action.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the podcast, I'll take you through seven types of questions to use and in what situations to use each.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and I've had a 25-year management career in corporate and household names such as Innocent Drinks, Fosters, EY, and Peer Consulting, all the way through to SMEs.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Developing questioning skills allowed me to find the real problems we faced, to understand other people's perspectives better, and to drive actions useful to all.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Learning the art of asking the right questions definitely made me a much more effective manager.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, Enhance.training shares business and people management expertise to help you improve your performance and that of your team and business.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And do visit us at Enhance.training and take a look at the courses and resources for you to improve your management skills and the outcome your team delivers.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Asking questions are powerful.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Questions get other people thinking.
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  SPEAKER_00: Questions guide and control the conversation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Questions can define problems.
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  SPEAKER_00: Questions help teach and correct.
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  SPEAKER_00: You can use questions in many situations to get a much better result than simply telling the individual.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: So with that in mind, the first way to improve your questioning skills is to know your purpose before asking questions.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Think about what you're trying to get from the situation before you start asking questions.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing your purpose will help you structure your questions better and improve questioning techniques.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some examples of purposes of using questions include, firstly obviously to find out information, secondly, to discover and understand the underlying problem.
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  SPEAKER_00: Third to drive actions and solutions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fourth to solve a specific problem by using other people's knowledge and skills.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fifth to challenge others' way of thinking or their solutions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sixth to teach by getting the other person to question their assumptions or thinking.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Changing the purpose will change the questions that you are asking.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if you're finding out information the question might be, tell me more about what ABC Limited does and what problems are we solving for them?
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  SPEAKER_00: An open question expecting quite a broad answer.
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  SPEAKER_00: That is one solution for ABC Limited.
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  SPEAKER_00: What issues can you see with implementing that solution before the end of the month?
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is an open question expecting an answer focused on identifying problems.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And compare this to getting agreement on a particular solution.
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  SPEAKER_00: Does solution C for ABC Limited meet all the criteria we set out at the beginning of this workshop?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Working out the purpose before asking questions will definitely improve your questioning skills.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: The second way to improve your questioning skills is to tailor your questions to your audience.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Asking questions in a conversation with the CEO is likely to be very different from asking questions to a junior worker.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Your audiences are very different.
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  SPEAKER_00: You might ask the CEO who is time poor and knowledgeable, what exactly do you want delivered from finance to increase our gross margin by 5%?
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  SPEAKER_00: You might ask the junior who has more time and less business knowledge the following question sequence.
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  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, what did you do over the weekend with your family?
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  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, what is your key focus over the next week?
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  SPEAKER_00: Third, how do you think you could help the finance team reduce costs or time spent in the areas you look after?
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  SPEAKER_00: And fourth, what help would you need to implement your best suggestion?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Before asking questions, think about your audience and consider, firstly, how much time they have.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, what they might expect in terms of pleasantries or relationship building at the start.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Third, what knowledge they have.
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  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, what their motivations and interests are, fifth, what they can or do influence and control.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, what language style they understand and are used to.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then seventh, what their mood might be.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And any other areas that help you understand and tailor your questions to your audience.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Do your best to tailor your questions to your audience and you'll get better answers.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: The third way to improve your questioning skills is to learn how to manage tone and body language when asking questions.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: The spoken words account for around 7% of the message.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: The nonverbal components massively impact how the words spoken are interpreted.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Tone and pace of voice make up around 38% of the communication, with the remaining 55% being communicated through body language.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: How you use your body language and tone of voice can easily change the question being asked from.
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  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, the tone and pace of your voice, for example, using a neutral tone expressing curiosity and excitement for learning.
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  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, the pauses and the words we emphasize.
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  SPEAKER_00: Third, our mood.
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  SPEAKER_00: If we're annoyed or upset or have negative emotions, how do we keep these out of our tone of voice and body language?
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  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, our facial expressions and the use of eyes, i.e.
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  SPEAKER_00: show interest and openness and willingness to take in the reply to our question.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, how we hold our bodies, i.e.
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  SPEAKER_00: attentive, engaged and respectful.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: The more interest we show in the answer, and the more we think about the answer and consider it, the more likely our question will be answered with effort and thought.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: The fourth way to improve your questioning skills is to suspend judgment for as long as possible to gain insight from the other person.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: We all judge.
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  SPEAKER_00: We all have our opinions, our beliefs, and our reference points.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: It takes effort to really take in what the other person tells us, to consider it, to reflect on it.
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  SPEAKER_00: That effort shows on our faces and in our reactions when we listen to the reply to our question.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is gold dust to those replying, and they put in more effort into their questions as a result.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Even more importantly, if we take in the reply to our question, if we consider it, we are in a better place to understand their point of view.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: Better understanding reduces conflict and increases the ability for both parties to learn.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: This process helps us adapt our thinking, which helps us be more successful as managers.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth way to improve your questioning skills is to learn how to use silence.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Silence is an incredibly useful tool when asking questions.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: We all find the silence that follows a really good question uncomfortable.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yet if you want to get a good answer, staying silent and giving the other person the time to think without being interrupted is a must.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be tempted to repeat the question or reframe the question until you've given the other person plenty of time to think and respond.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: And being silent also increases the pressure on the other person to respond to your question.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Practice using silence when asking questions and get comfortable with the silence yourself.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: The sixth way to improve your questioning skills is to actively listen and aim for action.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Using active listening skills is a must to get good at asking questions.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: You should pay attention to their tone and pace of voice, their facial expressions, and their body language when they are answering.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: If they answer quickly, if they appear to have spent very little thought before answering, then they are probably answering with what they know or think you want to hear.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: For information gathering questions, this is usually fine.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: But what about problem-solving questions?
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: What about questions where you're asking them to challenge the status quo?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: What about questions that ask them to step into their unknown?
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Would this reaction be okay?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: The best questions usually get the other person thinking.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thinking and considering takes effort, and you'll see this in their face and body language.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Keep asking different questions until you see that they are thinking.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: And remember the wording that got them there for asking questions in the future.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Good questions often initiate action.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Good questions could highlight an issue or a gap within the other person's area of responsibility.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you've asked a question with curiosity, they are likely to consider the question, realize there's a gap they haven't spotted, and then resolve to take action to fix it.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Always pay attention to the nonverbal messages the other person is giving off and try to ask questions that generate action, i.e.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: get the other person thinking or taking literal action.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: So we've gone through six actions to take to improve your questioning skills.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to run through seven types of questions for you to practice using.
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  SPEAKER_00: The first one is closed questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Closed questions generally only allow a short response such as a yes or a no, or to choose from a very short list of possible answers.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Closed questions are good for narrowing down topics and getting to decisions.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, open questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Open questions allow for a wide response such as giving opinions, options, views, solutions and more.
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  SPEAKER_00: Open questions are great for learning about the other person or a particular subject or area.
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  SPEAKER_00: Open questions often start with or include what, why, when, how, tell me, please expand on.
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  SPEAKER_00: Examples include What are your views on customer ABC Limited?
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  SPEAKER_00: How would you go about increasing the profitability of customer ABC?
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  SPEAKER_00: Third, leading questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Leading questions encourage the other person to give you an answer you want.
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  SPEAKER_00: Leading questions are limit the answers or put the per pressure on the other person to give a certain answer.
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  SPEAKER_00: Examples include Firstly, James, I really like option two.
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  SPEAKER_00: What do you think?
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  SPEAKER_00: Or secondly, how satisfied are you with our product?
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  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, probing or clarification questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Probing questions get the other person to think more deeply before giving an answer.
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  SPEAKER_00: Probing questions are often used to expand on an answer previously given.
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  SPEAKER_00: The questioning technique of asking why five times is a good use of probing questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: You keep asking why until you really understand a situation or have gotten to the bottom of it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Funneling questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Funneling questions is about asking a series of questions that become more restrictive with each step, or vice versa.
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  SPEAKER_00: You usually start with open questions, move into probing questions, and then use closed questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Funneling questions are good to focus in on and find out more details on a particular area.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some examples.
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  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, what are you looking for?
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  SPEAKER_00: An open question.
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  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, what has this happened before?
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  SPEAKER_00: A probing question.
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  SPEAKER_00: And third, do you agree?
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  SPEAKER_00: A closed question.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, justification questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Justification questions ask the other person to provide evidence or examples to support their ideas or views.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: An example could be what evidence do you have to support your view that we should stop supporting ABC Limited?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Seventh, reframing questions.
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  SPEAKER_00: Reframing questions aim to shift the perspective of the other person.
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  SPEAKER_00: These are good if a person is stuck or would benefit from different ways of looking at things.
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  SPEAKER_00: For instance, if a person has been complaining about their day, a simple reframing question might be, that sounds pretty tough.
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  SPEAKER_00: It would be great if you could tell me what has gone well today.
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  SPEAKER_00: So there you have seven types of questions to practice using in different situations.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: There are many ways to improve your questioning skills as a manager, and we have gone through six today being firstly know your purpose before asking questions.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, how to tailor your questions to your audience.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Third, how to manage tone and body language when asking questions.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, suspend judgment for as long as possible.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, learn how to use silence, and sixth, use active listening and aim for action.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Getting good at asking questions and listening and taking in the other person's response is great to help both parties learn.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Questions can be used for all sorts of purposes.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Start experimenting with how you use questions when managing your team.training and I'll get back to you.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.