People can be more successful by asking genuine questions designed to elicit information. There are 4 styles that can be used depending on the situation.
Professor: You use this when needing to better understand a situation, when exploring new ideas, or when trying to identify all potential factors affecting a situation.
Questions: What’s the goal? What are you options? What are the alternative choices being considered? What is the current reality? What other approaches have you tried?
Judge: You use this when you are seeking knowledge and attempting to evaluate as you analyze options.
Questions: Whose decision is it? What is the most important consideration? Which option makes the most sense to you? What are the consequences of the choices? What conclusions have you reached so far? Are the risks for each alternative manageable? What is the greatest possible success?
Innovator: You use this when trying to gain a perspective on the future. These questions maybe asked to explore new directions, identify opportunities, improve current methods, or develop innovative solutions.
Questions: What would do if the funds were unlimited? What is your recommended way forward? Is there anything I can do, add, or absolve you of that will make this easier for you to decide? What does your gut tell you to do? What will the end result be?
Director: You use this when evaluating how best to proceed and take action.
Questions: When is a decision due? Is this close to a 50-50 decision, and if so should we flip a coin? What needs to happen for that to succeed? Do you feel that you have my support? If you make the wrong decision, is it reversible?
Posted by: Paul Robbins
