Muchas veces nos limitamos tanto enfocándonos en encontrar respuestas, que no pensamos acerca de las preguntas. Para descubrir soluciones nuevas y únicas, necesitamos hacer un paso atrás y enfocarnos en la manera en que pedimos información. Sacude tu próxima reunión de equipo o conversación mediante el uso de unas pocas preguntas provocativas. Podrías sorprenderte de lo que puedes conseguir, solo haciendo diferentes preguntas.
¿Has notado cómo alguna gente tiene una habilidad especial para dirigir las conversaciones que llevan al corazón de un asunto importante? En vez de danzar alrededor de un tema y preguntar cuestiones superficiales, estas personas dan en el blanco con una pregunta que nos hace detenernos y pensar. Nos encontramos con la guardia baja y podemos tener una sensación de sinceridad irrestringida. Es posible que se nos ocurra una idea, una respuesta que no habíamos considerado hasta entonces. ¿Cómo pudo suceder? Simplemente una buena pregunta. En los lugares de trabajo, el poder de una pregunta provocativa es aún subestimado. Es irónico, ya que todas las respuestas brillantes comienzan con una buena pregunta. Para tener conversaciones más significativas, para tener mejores respuestas, necesitamos hacer mejores preguntas. A los demás y a nosotros mismos. Aquí van algunas ideas…
1) Encuentra una nueva audiencia. Sucede que, a veces, estamos caminando en círculos en las reuniones de trabajo o en otros ámbitos, porque las mismas ideas se repiten una y otra vez, para resolver los mismos problemas de siempre. Las mismas respuestas cosechan los mismos resultados…Invita a personas ajenas a la organización para conseguir nuevas perspectivas.
2) Evita las respuestas monosilábicas. Las preguntas más reflexivas no pueden contestarse con un monosílabo. Por lo tanto plantea la pregunta de manera que los demás tengan que expandirse para responderla.
3) Para cosechar mejores respuestas, más apropiadas, enfoca tu preguntas en
Qué, Cómo y Por qué.
4) No improvises. Si elaborar preguntas sugerentes, penetrantes, fuera fácil, todos seríamos maestros. En mi compañía, Futurethink, hemos preparado un set de preguntas geniales, killer queries, que fueron desarrolladas para obtener respuestas perspicaces, que cambian el juego, que ofrecen nuevos puntos de vista sobre cómo hacer las cosas, o sobre qué cosas se han de hacer. Por ejemplo, si fueras un competidor, qué cosas harías para ponernos fuera de juego? ¿Qué circunstancias o hechos externos tienen el potencial de impactar sobre nuestra industria significativamente? ¿Cuál sería el impacto? ¿Qué podríamos dejar de hacer que nuestros clientes nos agradecieran?
Las preguntas geniales (killer queries) son una gran herramienta para desencadenar el pensamiento creativo, especialmente cuando los equipos se quedan atascados en una rutina. Es también útil incluir un par de estas preguntas en las reuniones ordinarias para provocar y promover ideas frescas. Preguntas inusuales tienden a producir respuestas interesantes. Trata de plantear preguntas de una manera diferente para estimular a la gente a pensar diferente. Un cliente de Futurthink en la industria metalúrgica empleó esta estrategia para obtener feedback de los empleados sobre cómo mejorar la cultura empresarial. Usaron la siguiente pregunta: Si pudiéramos someter nuestra cultura empresarial a un exorcismo, ¿Qué malas costumbres deberían ser eliminadas? Al plantear la pregunta de una forma creativa y divertida, la compañía pudo comenzar un debate productivo en el que los empleados estuvieron entusiasmados por participar. Olvida tus suposiciones. A veces es necesario cuestionar asunciones, normas o creencias para abrir un debate que produzca nuevas ideas. Otro ejemplo de pregunta que puede liberar la mente de ideas limitantes: ¿Cuáles son las creencias inquebrantables en nuestra industria sobre lo que los clientes quieren? ¿Y si lo contrario fuera cierto? ¿Qué reglas o procesos nos impiden ser más eficientes? ¿Qué deseamos hacer en la empresa que no podemos hacer ahora mismo? ¿Qué pasaría si pudiéramos? Preguntas de este tipo ayudan a las personas a desafiar el status quo e impulsan una dinámica para el cambio positivo.
Mi traducción del artículo "Meaningful conversations: begin with great questions"", de Lisa Bodell, publicado en la revista Psychology Today, que transcribo a continuación.
Oftentimes, we
get so wrapped up in focusing on getting answers that we don’t think about the
questions. To uncover new and unique solutions, we need to take a step back and
focus on the way we ask for information. Shake up your next team meeting or
conversation by having a few of these provocative questions up your sleeve. You
might be surprised by what you can accomplish, just by asking different
questions. Ever notice how some people have a real knack for driving conversations that get to the heart of an important issue? Instead of dancing around a topic and asking surface-level questions, they strike with you a doozy that actually makes you stop and think. You’re so caught off guard that you have a rare moment of unbridled honesty, and offer up an answer that you yourself hadn’t even considered until that very moment. How did that happen? Simple: a great question. In today’s workplace, the power of provocative questions is underrated. It’s ironic really, since all brilliant answers start with questions. To have more meaningful, productive conversations and get better answers, we need to ask better questions. Follow the tips below to rethink your asking strategy:
1) Find a new audience Does it sometimes feel like you’re going round and round in circles at meetings because the same ideas keep getting repeated for solving existing problems? Not only is it frustrating, but similar solutions generally yield similar results. Next time, try inviting different people to your meetings to gain a new perspective. For example, think outside of your own staff when it comes to meeting invites. Do you work with a vendor who might be able to think about your business in a different way? See if one of their staff members can participate in a brainstorming session.
2) Avoid one-word answers The most thoughtful questions can’t be answered with one word, so frame your questions in a way that makes people expand.
3)To yield longer and more detailed responses, try focusing your questions on how, what, and why.
4)Don’t rely on spontaneity If thinking of compelling questions on the spot were easy, we would all be masters of inquiry. Since that isn’t the case, it’s smart to prepare ahead of time. At my company, futurethink, we created a list of Killer Queries that were developed to get perceptive, game-changing answers. Here are a few examples: • If you were a competitor, what two things would you do to put us out of business? • What external jolts or wildcards have the potential to significantly impact our industry? What would be the impact? • What could we STOP doing that would make customers say “thank you”?
Killer Queries are a great way to spark creative thinking, especially when teams get stuck in a rut. It’s also helpful to include a couple of these questions in regular team meetings to mix it up and promote fresh ideas. Get creative Unusual questions tend to yield interesting answers. Try framing questions in new way to get people thinking differently. A futurethink client in the metal producing industry employed this strategy to obtain feedback from employees on ideas for improving their culture. They used the following Killer Query: • If we could undergo a corporate culture exorcism, what three ‘evil’ customs should be eliminated?” By framing the question in a fun and creative way, the company was able to start a productive discussion where employees were excited to participate. Forget your assumptions Remember the saying, “When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me?” (haces el ridículo)Keep this in mind when formulating questions. Sometimes it’s helpful to question assumptions and norms to help guide discussions that yield new solutions. Here are a couple of example questions that help people clear their mind of existing (and limiting) ideas: • What are the unshakable beliefs in our industry about what customers want? What if the opposite were true? • What rules or processes are holding us back from being more efficient? • What do we wish we could do at work that we can’t right now? What would happen if we did it? Queries like these help people challenge the status quo and build momentum for positive change. -
1) Find a new audience Does it sometimes feel like you’re going round and round in circles at meetings because the same ideas keep getting repeated for solving existing problems? Not only is it frustrating, but similar solutions generally yield similar results. Next time, try inviting different people to your meetings to gain a new perspective. For example, think outside of your own staff when it comes to meeting invites. Do you work with a vendor who might be able to think about your business in a different way? See if one of their staff members can participate in a brainstorming session.
2) Avoid one-word answers The most thoughtful questions can’t be answered with one word, so frame your questions in a way that makes people expand.
3)To yield longer and more detailed responses, try focusing your questions on how, what, and why.
4)Don’t rely on spontaneity If thinking of compelling questions on the spot were easy, we would all be masters of inquiry. Since that isn’t the case, it’s smart to prepare ahead of time. At my company, futurethink, we created a list of Killer Queries that were developed to get perceptive, game-changing answers. Here are a few examples: • If you were a competitor, what two things would you do to put us out of business? • What external jolts or wildcards have the potential to significantly impact our industry? What would be the impact? • What could we STOP doing that would make customers say “thank you”?
Killer Queries are a great way to spark creative thinking, especially when teams get stuck in a rut. It’s also helpful to include a couple of these questions in regular team meetings to mix it up and promote fresh ideas. Get creative Unusual questions tend to yield interesting answers. Try framing questions in new way to get people thinking differently. A futurethink client in the metal producing industry employed this strategy to obtain feedback from employees on ideas for improving their culture. They used the following Killer Query: • If we could undergo a corporate culture exorcism, what three ‘evil’ customs should be eliminated?” By framing the question in a fun and creative way, the company was able to start a productive discussion where employees were excited to participate. Forget your assumptions Remember the saying, “When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me?” (haces el ridículo)Keep this in mind when formulating questions. Sometimes it’s helpful to question assumptions and norms to help guide discussions that yield new solutions. Here are a couple of example questions that help people clear their mind of existing (and limiting) ideas: • What are the unshakable beliefs in our industry about what customers want? What if the opposite were true? • What rules or processes are holding us back from being more efficient? • What do we wish we could do at work that we can’t right now? What would happen if we did it? Queries like these help people challenge the status quo and build momentum for positive change. -
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