Think about this: When you make a statement, you will not know whether the intended audience received it or not. Whereas when you ask a question and the audience respond, you are sure it has reached – it’s a closed loop system. More importantly when you make a statement, it belongs to you; it does not belong to the listener. On the contrary, when you ask a question and the other person responds, that response belong to him/her. Asking question is a very powerful way of building ownership in the other person. Questions are a powerful leadership tool through which one can master more then 20 soft skills.

1. Power of Questions
Master the art of 20+ leadership/soft skills
Vishu Hegde
vishu@pm-powerconsulting.com

2. 2
“The leader of the past knows how to tell.
The leader of the future knows how to ask.”
- Peter Drucker

3. Mechanics of Question
 What is a ‘Statement’?
 A ‘Statement’ is a response to some question, either explicit or implicit
 What is a ‘Question’?
 A question is something which elicits/provokes a response.
 How does a Statement end?
 With a full stop (.) – Closes
 How does a Question end?
 With a Question mark (?) – With anticipation, solicitation; Opens up

4. Mechanics of Question
Statement
-One way Broadcast
-No response
-Closes options
-Answer is ‘my baby’
Question
-Two way communication
-Closed-loop system
-Opens up possibilities
-Answer is ‘your baby’
Ask Listen
ThinkRespond
Ownership, Motivation,
Buy-in, Commitment,
Energy, Ego fulfillment,
…

5. Key Questions : 5W 1H and 5 Whys
What, Why, When, Where, Who, How
Breadth of Problem/Solution
Why
Why
Why
Why
Why
DepthofProblem/Solution
Root Cause

6. Rudyard Kipling's ‘The Serving Men’
I keep six honest serving men,
They taught me all I know,
Their names are What and Why and When,
And How And Where And Who.
- Rudyard Kipling's The Serving Men

7. Some situations where Questions are a great toolset
 Problem Solving (both for Problem Analysis & Solutions): 5W 1H & 5 Whys
 Creating shared Visioning – ownership, buy-in, motivation
 Coaching
 Facilitating
 Brainstorming
 Performance Management dialogues
 Communication (2 way)
 Creativity & Innovation (inquiry, inquisitiveness)
 Getting buy-in, culture change management
 Managing Ego (both self & the other’s)
 Training, Learning
 Consulting
 Customer interfacing
 Counseling
 Conflict Management
 Developing Self-Managed Teams
Questions: The Master Key
for all Soft Skills
Master the art of asking questions
 Interviewing
 Reviewing
 Delegating
 Risk Management
 For Improvements
 For Development (Self & Others)
 …

8. Context, Intent & Tone of Questions
are very important
 Context of the Question is very important
 One needs to ‘sense’ the situation
 Intent of Question has to be genuine
 Manipulative, ‘clever’ questions will have negative impact
 Artificial questions (diplomatic, ‘wearing a mask’) will fall apart
 False Questions will create more stress for both the parties
 “Tone” of Question (including body language) is crucial - Beware
 Tone of Question can communicate many things
• - Ignorance - Checking/testing
• - Arrogance - Requesting
• - Curiosity - Doubting
• - Seeking information - Helping, offering
• - Challenging - Intimidating
• - Dis-respect - Humiliating
• ……
 Use context setting before the question to make your intent explicit, so that
there is no misreading of the question

9. Types of Questions
 Open questions
 These are useful in getting another person to speak. They often begin with the words: What, Why, When, Who
 Sometimes they are statements: “tell me about”, “give me examples of”.
 They can provide you with a good deal of information.
 Closed questions
 These are questions that require a yes or no answer and are useful for checking facts. They should be used with
care - too many closed questions can cause frustration and shut down conversation.
 Specific questions
 These are used to determine facts. For example “How much did you spend on that?”
 Probing questions
 These check for more detail or clarification. Probing questions allow you to explore specific areas. However be
careful because they can easily make people feel they are being interrogated
 Hypothetical questions
 These pose a theoretical situation in the future. For example, “What would you do if…?’ These can be used to get
others to think of new situations. They can also be used in interviews to find out how people might cope with new
situations.
 Reflective questions
 You can use these to reflect back what you think a speaker has said, to check understanding. You can also reflect
the speaker’s feelings, which is useful in dealing with angry or difficult people and for defusing emotional situations.
 Leading questions.
 These are used to gain acceptance of your view – they are not useful in providing honest views and opinions. If you
say to someone ‘you will be able to cope, won’t you?’ they may not like to disagree.

10. Golden Rules of Questions
 Ask & Get
 Even if you know the answer, convert it in to a question and get the
answer

You may learn and discover new things which you did not know

This builds ownership, participation, buy-in, motivation in the other person(s)
 Ask before Telling
 ‘Plough before Sowing’ : creates fertility condition to receive
 Ask Open-ended Questions
 Rather than Closed-ended (leading) Questions

11. Master the Art of Asking Questions
 For one week consciously observe and practice using Questions
 Observe how many times you use questions vs how many times you
give answers/solutions, instructions/directions
 Resist falling into the temptation of giving answers/solutions (transcend
your ego)
Become more Self-aware and Unlock the potential

12. Thank you