Asking questions is a uniquely powerful tool for unlocking value in organizations: It spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, it fuels innovation and performance improvement, it builds rapport and trust among team members. As well, it can mitigate business risk by uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards.

However,  few executives think of questioning as a skill that can be honed—or consider how their own answers to questions could make conversations more productive. That’s a missed opportunity. The good news is that by asking questions, we naturally improve our emotional intelligence, which in turn makes us better questioners—a virtuous cycle.


Reference:
Harvard Business Review (2018, May 1) Allison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John: The Surprising Power of Questions