“You can’t find the right answer if you are asking the wrong question.” John Maxwell

At first, I thought how simplistic, yet how true. How often do we work at finding the right answer, yet we spend our time asking the wrong questions?

Several ideas will help us in developing the right questions.

1) Think before speaking. It is easy to say the first thing that comes to mind. However, without thinking first we generally ask unrelated questions.

2) Questions must be clear and direct. Vagueness breeds vagueness. To get the right answer, our questions must be understood.

3) Be genuine. Questions are commonly used defensively. When someone speaks and is questioned, they  tend to feel challenged and react on their perception.

4) Do not assume anything. Assumptions will leave us with more questions than before.

5) Learn what should “not” be asked. To ask the right questions, we should learn this point. Questions that remove opportunities and do not allow for clarification should be avoided.

There are answers, but we must learn to ask the right question to find the right answer.