39: Asking Better Questions

For anyone who has ever tried to troubleshoot an issue before, you probably feel like getting all of the details and understanding what they mean are critical to solving the problem. In the busyness of the spring, sometimes key details can get overlooked, missed, or even miscommunicated. In this episode, the hosts of the Smarter Every Season podcast--who are all Product Support Specialists--pass on tips from their experiences on how to effectively ask questions that will help "diagnosticians" (yes, it's a word) capture the key details that will help them solve problems.

Starter Questions:

• When did you first notice the problem?
• When did it last work correctly?
• What changed?

Bullet points from the recap:

• Type, Tone, Sequence, & Framing Matter
• Listen actively
• Ask one question at a time
• Open ended questions to broaden the scope and gather details
• Closed ended questions to drill down
• Know what you want to know
• Be comfortable with silence; it is the sound of thinking happening
• Be cognizant of the flow of the conversational
• Be educational; teach along the way
• Remove your assumptions and biases
• Simplify your communication: Explain it Like I’m Five (ELI 5)
• Inaccuracies may be stated
• Contradictions don’t exist
• Make them your team mate
• Send me a picture (add more tools to your toolbox)
• Speak with empathy and patience