“Effective leaders ask questions instead of giving orders.” (Dale Carnegie). “The right question will encourage everybody to think in a new way.” (Krista Brookman). Read about the power of asking questions. For personal expertise click on http://preview.liveyourmark.com/be-a-coach/ For more life tips visit www.liveyourmark.com/blog

1. How to ask!
Tips for better communication III

2. Tips for better communication:
a 4-part series
Series 1: Building empathy
Series 2: How to listen
Series 4: How to understand messages
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

3. “Effective leaders
ask questions
instead of giving
orders.”
- Dale Carnegie
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

4. “The person who asks questions is leading the
conversation.” This is a common saying, which indicates
that asking good questions leads to a good dialog. Asking
questions helps to connect to others and better
understand their perspectives.
In the long run, if you want to become a better leader, ask
questions.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

5. There are good ways to ask questions and there are
bad ways.
Here are some tips to consider to get the best
outcome to your questions.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

6. Ask questions to empower
Do not accuse or harp on someone’s mistakes.
The other person will become defensive and will
shut him- or herself off from you.
In contrast, empowering questions will open up
the mind, create a trusting, high-energy
atmosphere.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

7. Instead of asking:
“Why haven’t you finished that project
yet?”, saying:
“What is going on in the project so far?”
will put the other person in a much safer space,
which allows him or her to share information
without feeling criticized.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com
Sample:
Ask questions to empower

8. Ask open questions
Open questions will not limit the
answer to just one word. They initiate
the expansion of ideas and give a
better understanding of the other
person’s thoughts.
Open questions respect the other
person because it gives them space to
express their points of view.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

9. Ask open questions
Instead of asking: “Do you agree on
this?”, an open question would be:
“What do you think about this?” or
“How would you proceed…?”
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com
Sample:

10. Ask instead of assume
Not asking because one already assumes the
answer is a common mistake people make. Asking
limiting questions that assume a certain answer
should also be avoided.
Have an open mind and ask to gain a better
understanding of others. Presuming things can
restrain people or projects from moving forward.
E.g.: a manager may not elaborate enough on what
he wants done because he assumes that his
employees already know.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

11. Ask to create a space of
inclusiveness
To prevent a biased judgment, first
ask a question that strives to
connect as it can broaden
everyone’s intellect.
Asking the other person to imagine
to be in the one’s shoes helps to
create awareness and may make
the other person reconsider his
biased feeling of the other’s
actions.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

12. Ask for boosting innovative thinking
Reconsider your questions if you are
stuck or facing the same problems
again and again. Repeating the
same questions will give the same
answers.
Ask the question “why” and “how”
several times to dig deeper to the
issue, that will result in a cause-and-
effect-thinking.
Do not ask questions that makes the
other person pick your possibilities.
Maybe there is a different option that
hasn’t been considered yet.
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

13. “The right question
will encourage
everybody to think in
a new way.”
- Krista Brookman
Executive Coach International Pte Ltd – www.liveyourmark.com

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As coaching is a great thing, we like to
share our knowledge we got from
working with our clients over the last 11
years.
For personal expertise click on
http://preview.liveyourmark.com/be-
a-coach/
For more life tips visit
www.liveyourmark.com/blog.