Lifelong Learner #22
The underrated superpower of asking better questions
To all lifelong learners,
I find myself thinking about how we uncover new perspectives and invite growth into our daily lives.
A thought I’m exploring: What if the key to deeper understanding isn’t about accumulating the right answers, but rather learning how to formulate better questions?
We live in a society that heavily rewards knowing the answers. We build expertise and take pride in our certainty. Yet, the true catalyst for innovation, human connection, and genuine learning is inquiry.
This brings me to the work of the Right Question Institute (RQI), a non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching people how to ask better questions. They advocate that the ability to formulate your own questions is a fundamental, yet often untaught, life skill.
So, what exactly makes a question “great”? When we look at frameworks like those from the RQI, a few powerful commonalities emerge:
They are open-ended: Great questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They require the respondent to pause, reflect, and expand on their thinking.
They are curious, not judgmental: They seek to understand rather than to interrogate. For example, shifting a defensive question like “Why did you do it that way?” to a collaborative one like “Help me understand how you approached that?”
They challenge assumptions: A powerful question gently pokes at the underlying premises we take for granted, opening a door to solutions that didn’t exist a moment before.
They are concise: The best questions get out of their own way. They leave room for the answer rather than burying the core inquiry in a long, complicated phrase.
For example, one of my favorite open-ended coaching questions is “What would you do if you had unlimited courage?”.
A question I’m asking myself: In my daily conversations, how often do I listen with the sole intention of asking a genuine, open-ended follow-up question, rather than simply waiting for my turn to speak?
Our collective challenge: Let’s start small. This week, try a simple conversation experiment: Choose one discussion with a colleague, friend, or family member. Before offering your own opinion, advice, or solution, deliberately ask two open-ended follow-up questions. Try starting them with “what” or “how.” The goal isn’t to interrogate, but simply to explore their perspective a little deeper before sharing your own. If you want to take it to the next level, pick one meeting you’re having at work or at home, and only ask questions throughout the entire meeting. It changes the dynamics of any conversation.
Looking forward to learning together with you. Thank you 🙏
Johan