Asking Questions

This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place, I’m Jeff Klein. And I’m Pam Klein. Our friend, Mary, is a college professor who recently posted this on her facebook page: I asked my students when they left class today if they were smarter than when they came in – and they all said, “Yes!” I say this is what education is all about. But what had made it such an exceptionally great day? Her post continued: Each pair of students brainstormed ten questions about what we were studying which they thought were important. Then they searched for...Read more …

Listen to enough people, and you become more adept at reading the signs of who is truly engaging with you… “If you allow [people] to express their views … there is an excellent chance that people will reciprocate.” [1] Spoken by a man who loves and follows Jesus, these words are as profoundly simple as they are powerful. But what’s truly shocking is the context in which Daryl Davis employs the art of asking questions and the art of listening. Davis is an African American who, over the course of many years, has made friends with dozens of card-carrying members...Read more …

Roger tells the story of the Christian at his workplace (we’ll call him Joe), who is already good friends with “Sam.” As they share life with each other, Joe asks Sam something like, “What would you think of having a few lunches together to see how the Bible sheds light on life?” Joe has spent time listening to Sam, praying for him, and welcoming him into his life. Significant life topics have already come up in their conversations. Since Sam has experienced the way that Joe listens and asks questions, he trusts that their interactions will help him, so Sam...Read more …

This is Walk the Way. Brought to you by Q Place. I’m Jeff Klein. And I’m Pam Klein. Navy Commander D. Michael Abrashoff used 3 questions to turn around the operations of the USS Benfold, one of the U.S. Navy’s most modern warships — from worst to first: What do you like best about this ship? What do you like least? What would you change if you could? And continually asking them, listening and taking action produced astounding results in just 20 months: He operated on only 75% of his budget returning 1.4 million dollars to the Navy. The promotion...Read more …

When our son Benjamin first told his dad and me that he was seriously considering leaving what most of us see as life’s prescribed pathway—a four-year college experience—mid-way through his junior year…to pursue becoming a stuntman, I remember his father’s one word response. Stuntman? Feeling a little empathy for my husband and me at this juncture? Thanks! Actually, Benjamin’s pronouncement wasn’t completely out of left field! His imagination, giftings, life-long love of entertainment, and passion for adventure had provided ample context for what otherwise could have been a total shock. (Too bad the picture of him atop that piano wasn’t a video!...Read more …

In his eBook Great Leaders Ask Questions, Bob Tiede writes this in the introduction: Are you familiar with T.A.? You are probably familiar with A.A.—Alcoholics Anonymous. Well, T.A. stands for “Tellers Anonymous!” I have an addiction—I am addicted to telling! At T.A. meetings I stand up and introduce myself: “My name is Bob and I am a teller.” Today, I am a recovering teller. However, the temptation to “lead by telling” has never left me. You could say that this eBook—sharing my favorite questions with you—is part of my recovery program, as is my blog: LeadingWithQuestions.com. Leading with questions takes...Read more …

This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place, I’m Jeff Klein. And I’m Pam Klein. When Benjamin was home from college for his fall break, he wanted to see, The Martian, starring Matt Damon. Now, I had just seen it when I was in Honduras – Spanish translation, subtitles and all – when I was visiting the kids we’ve been sponsoring as a family for years through an orphanage foundation. I knew it was good and why it was on Ben’s list. I was happy to go again. But here’s the temptation when you’ve already seen a...Read more …

One of my fondest memories from my teenage years is eating liver and onions at my grandma’s house. Yes, liver and onions! My grandma lived by herself near our house, and every now and then she would get a hankering for the dish but didn’t want to eat another meal alone. So, she’d call and invite us over for dinner. Initially my sister and I didn’t like liver and onions, and grandma knew that. So, she would serve homemade macaroni and cheese with buttered toasted bread crumbs on top as a side dish to the liver and onions. We could have...Read more …

In learning to ask good questions we must consider the question a catalyst. By doing that we focus on how it produces an effect and learn how to ask questions appropriately. If I know a good question, but do not ask it in light of the needs of the person I am speaking with or the environment we are in, the question does not do what it should. The question itself is one of several factors that determine how a person responds when queried. These are some things that can influence whether a question evokes a good response: the current attitude...Read more …

This is Walk the Way, brought to you by Q Place, I’m Jeff Klein. I recently spoke at a camp to about 350 high school students. At 55 years old, that’s a stretch. Aren’t camp speakers supposed to be cool, young, and handsome? Maybe. And if I ever was all that, it’s long gone. But age has brought along with it a new secret weapon: I ask questions. One student even told me that I was more social than most speakers. Interesting. Could it be because of the great conversation I’d just had with her and her whole cabin? And...Read more …