Good questions can make all the difference in advancing your career, business or organization. They can produce drops of information that add up to game-changing buckets of insights.

photo credit: Questions viaphotopin(license)

Journalism is an amazing training ground in the art of asking good questions. We learn in journalism how to get sources talking and get them comfortable enough to discuss the really good stuff – the human stuff, the scary stuff, the remarkable stuff.

The problem is, most of us ask bad questions. We talk too much, move too fast, and nod even when we don’t understand. All of this adds up to missed opportunities in education, understanding and progress.

Here are few tips for how to ask better questions from Shane Snow, a founder of Contently:

• Don’t ramble on, terminate the sentence at the question mark.
• Get comfortable with silence.
• Start with “who, what, when, where, how, or why” for more meaningful answers.
• Don’t fish for the answer you want.
• Stop nodding if you don’t understand-ask a follow-up instead.
• If you get a non-answer, approach it again from a different angle.
• Rephrase the answer in your own words.
• Don’t be afraid to ask dumb questions.

Get better at asking, listening, and learning. Your next big idea is waiting to be discovered – with a simple question.

Have a great week.