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| The Most Important Question | ||
| As
a consultant, I ask questions for a living.
Just the other day, I was talking to someone
starting the product selection process, and
they asked me for advice on asking their own
project questions. Here was my answer: At all
stages of your project, there’s one question
that is the most important you can ask of your
vendor or service provider. It is: Why? Reason “Why?” is the most powerful question you can ask because it gets people to think more about what they’re doing and for what they’re asking. If you ask “Why?,” you’ll likely get the answers to the other questions of “Who, What, When, How and Where” as well. Places to Use “Why?” Opportunities to ask this question abound throughout your project:
Problems With “Why?” Out-of-context, these questions can sound harsh, which leads me to point out the main problem with the question “why?”: people sometimes take offense to being asked it. They respond to, “Why do we do it this way?” with, “Because it’s always been done this way!,” and can take the question as an indication of mistrust or as a negative comment on their performance (that is to say, people can feel challenged and insecure when you ask them this question). Tactics for “Why?” Personally, my main tactic is to repeat my question. That said, I try to change the way I ask it. Rephrasing sometimes enables people to understand my point of view better. After asking, “Why do you do it this way?” I might ask, “But why do you think you’ve always done it that way? Why do you think it was set up that way in the beginning?” I also watch for the people I’m talking with to respond with belligerence, insecurity, distress, or any other negative emotion. That’s when I back off in some way before continuing. This is when you need to rephrase your question, redirect the response, or maybe even take a break. The Outcome You need to be persistent to get the outcome you want--as much information as possible. However, if you alienate the people who hold the information you need, the flow stops. The trick is to find ways to pull the information out while leaving people open and comfortable with future interactions with you. As with most things, the more practice you get, the more successful you’ll be.
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of This Newsletter Assistance in the production of this newsletter was provided by Teich Technical and Marketing Communications, which can help you find your new clients through marketing communications, technical writing, editing, indexing, and Web content services, along with training and educational materials development. Thea Teich, owner and principal, is currently the immediate past president of the Society for Technical Communication. Contact: Thea@TeichTMC.com |
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