The Art of Questions That Get Results

WILMINGTON, DE | Nov 29, 2010 | Authors Paul Cherry and Patrick Connor understand the art of the question. They write about it in their just-released book, Questions That Get Results: Innovative Ideas Managers Can Use to Improve Their Teams' Performance, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Some questions are often well intentioned, but garner little useful information:

• ‘‘How’s it going?’’
• ‘‘How are you coming along with _________ (the project, task, job, customer, etc.)?’’
• ‘‘Do you have any questions?’’
• ‘‘When can I expect __________?’’
• ‘‘What do you have for me?’’

These questions are problematic Because they are vague, employees often give answers that contain little or no substance.

A better way to ask questions is to use what Cherry and Connor call ‘‘descriptive openers.’’ These are phrases that can initiate dialogue and motivate people to open up.

• ‘‘Will you please describe for me how you think we could improve this process?’’
• ‘‘Can you clarify for me how this idea will meet our requirements?’’
• ‘‘Will you please share with me which systems, programs, or people are helpful, and which are a hindrance?’’
• ‘‘Will you please help me understand your thoughts on this project?’’

Cherry also asks, “Think you know what your employees want? Some misguided managers feel it’s not their job to inspire excellence from their employees—they should magically motivate themselves. Others think all employees respond to the same type of reward system. But employers need to respect employees’ differences; they’re individuals with motivations as different as their work styles. Managers need to respond to those differences if they want their employees to perform above and beyond expectations. Understand your employees like you understand your customers. In both cases, it’s important to find out what they want from their relationships and what it is they value. The only way to understand what people value is to engage them—by asking them!”

About the Authors:
Paul Cherry (Wilmington, DE) is Managing Partner and Founder of Performance Based Results. With 20 years experience in organizational development and performance improvement strategies, he has coached over 1,200 companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Shell Oil, Wells Fargo, Hilton, Johnson & Johnson, Harley-Davidson, and Philips, as well as more than 100,000 individuals. On average, his clients report a 20:1 return on investment by putting his strategies into action. Cherry is the author of Questions That Sell and has written articles for leading publications such as Investor's Business Daily and Selling Power. He is also a guest instructor at the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University and the University of Phoenix. Follow Paul Cherry on Twitter

Patrick Connor (Wilmington, DE), as Managing Partner at Performance Based Results, is responsible for the development, delivery and reinforcement of training. With over 25 years of experience in sales and executive leadership, Connor has trained over 500,000 individuals and clients including corporate executives, government employees, academics, and Olympic coaches and has conducted programs for the manufacturing, transportation, banking, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare industries.