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Aileen Gibb with her latest book “Asking Great Questions”.<\/p><\/div>\n
What\u2019s the big deal about questions?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThe most powerful conversations happen when you ask questions\u201d Aileen explains. Good questions and meaningful answers can change the world.<\/p>\n
Mind. Blown.<\/p>\n
What is the best question to ask?<\/b><\/p>\n
When you enter a conversation with \u201cpreloaded\u201d questions, you can\u2019t help but mentally tick off the boxes in your head. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. You\u2019ve gone from \u201cwhoa\u201d to \u201cmeh\u201d in four questions flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scary question is the one that makes the difference,\u201d she notes. It\u2019s the one that comes up when you are focusing on the moment, when you are in a back and forth conversational groove. If it makes people pause before answering, it\u2019s a great question.<\/p>\n
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What is a good question to start a conversation?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cAnything but \u2018So, what do you do?\u2019\u201d laughs Aileen. It\u2019s important to be genuinely curious about others. Ask questions you haven\u2019t asked before and you\u2019ll receive interesting answers. Be bold and ask questions that come from a different place than everyone else\u2019s. \u201cWhat inspires you?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s a dream or ambition you haven\u2019t yet fulfilled?\u201d gives a conversation a set of sturdy legs to stand on.<\/p>\n
Ask open-ended questions such as, \u201cWhat do you think about\u2026?\u201d It shows a respect for opinions, which leads to trust and understanding.<\/p>\n
Why do some business owners and leaders have a hard time asking questions?<\/b><\/p>\n
As business owners we often feel responsible for having all the answers. We are expected to be decisive, fearless and innovative\u2026 and to know the answer before the question has even entered anyone else\u2019s brain space. It\u2019s not easy to hang out in that vulnerable space where we are waiting for answers instead of providing them.<\/p>\n
If the floor is open for answers to emerge through asking questions, the possibility of innovation and creativity will be infinitely larger. Our co-workers and clients will feel valued when they realize their voices are important. By letting go of the need to have all the answers and fix all the things, we create an environment of trust.<\/p>\n
Asking questions is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it\u2019s a way to open doors and build relationships. Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People<\/i>, once wrote, \u201cEffective leaders ask questions instead of giving orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
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How can we be better listeners?<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about the intention you take into the conversation,\u201d says Aileen. Are you truly open to what others say? Or are you attached to specific answers that swing the conversation back to you? Create space for possibilities and surprises. Learn to be comfortable with silence as you wait for a response. Don\u2019t interrupt.<\/p>\n
Trust that the conversation will be way more meaningful than anything you try to force.<\/p>\n
People love talking about themselves. It douses our brain with dopamine, a \u201cfeel \u00a0good\u201d hormone. When you want to make another person feel good, give them space to talk about themselves. Asking better questions is a surefire way to develop lasting relationships and build trust with people. (And that\u2019s always good for business.)<\/p>\n
What are your favorite questions to ask? Have you ever been asked a question that stopped you in your tracks?<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I love asking questions. The inquisitive part of me adores learning and having meaningful conversations that go beyond surface-skimming chit chat. As a business owner, I\u2019ve learned that asking questions is a crucial component of building a brand and making connections. But there\u2019s an art to it. Knowing the difference between \u201cokay\u201d questions and \u201cgreat\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,15,16],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brightlightgraphics.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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