We all ask questions. Often without thinking carefully about its formulation. In the private sphere it is usually not that important if the question has not been well thought out. If the other party doesn't understand, ask the question again or differently. This is different in the business environment. There, more attention is consciously paid to the question. There should be no ambiguities here. This can cause irritation, take more time to get back on track or damage the image. And in the legal environment it can be of vital importance.
But what do you have to do to formulate a question correctly? Which aspects should I take into account in advance?
Add nuance to the question
Put the answerer on the track you want. You ask the question you want an answer to, but also include a nuance in the question, for example “what other solution could there be to achieve the same result?”.
Consequences
Make the answerer think on the spot by asking if a crucial element in that process is no longer available.
Indicate a solution direction
Let the answerer immediately answer the question about what his/her proposal is that can be implemented jointly at this time.
Clarity of objectives
Objectives are usually stated briefly to the audience. The basic principle here is that people can then remember this better. The answerer is therefore not focused on the question to provide more clarity about the objectives and the interconnections that result from them.
Asking for new solutions
Each solution has pros and cons. What if the disadvantages are quite glaring? Is this addressed sufficiently? Ask the answerer about this problem and ask for other solutions.
Choice questions
If choices are discussed during the information, ask the answerer the direct question which option would he/she choose for project A or B?
Open questions that make the answerer think directly and indirectly. If answerers make a comment, appreciate it, so that they can continue to discuss that topic and you can ask the right questions in between. Train yourself to master these types of questions so that you can ask them at the right time. Only by asking questions is knowledge adequately collected.
