Tony Robbins always says, If you want a better answer, ask a better question. As recruiters, we spend our days asking questions. A minor enhancement to the way we ask questions can yield tremendous revenue results.
That’s all well and good, but how do we ask better questions? Here are a few tactics to consider:
Change the Perspective. When we know too much about a topic, we lose perspective. Combat this by changing the personal frame. What questions would Elon Musk ask? What about your child? What about Big Bird, if he smoked a bunch of pot? It seems silly, but the more we know, the more assumptions we make. By changing the voice, we open our minds to different perspectives.
WWHW. For each assumption we can challenge it with four main questions. Why? What if? How? Who? Understanding purpose, contingency planning, solutions and resourcefulness will help you to dig in deeper to a topic with someone.
Endless Why. This technique has been attributed to Toyota, but I only know if from Tony Robbins (yes, I’m a big fan.) When someone makes a statement, and you repeatedly ask them why, you’ll uncover real motivation. This is an excellent exercise to do for Thinking Time. When done right, it doesn’t usually take more than 5 – 7 why questions to get to the root of the issue.
Question Storming. I love this concept. It’s the idea of brainstorming, but instead of coming up with solutions, you’re coming up with questions. Imagine the difference in outcomes if before trying to solve a problem you work with your team to come up with 30 questions on the problem first.
Limitless Questions. There are several questions which almost always result in results. They are: What if you couldn’t fail? How would a child picture this? If money didn’t matter, what would I want? What if everything I believe about this is wrong? What assumptions, true or false, am I making about this situation?
If someone asks you a great question, save it. Capture it for future use. Very few things are more powerful than being able to ask the right questions – of ourselves and others.
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Tricia Tamkin, headhunter, advisor, coach, and gladiator. Tricia has spoken at over 50 recruiting events, been quoted in multiple national publications, and her name is often dropped in groups as the solution to any recruiters’ challenges. She brings over 30 years of deep recruiting experience and offers counsel in a way which is perspective changing and entertaining.
