Your team is fortunate if you have even one teammate who regularly asks the questions that immediately halt discussions and save months of wasted effort. But even if you don't have someone like that, everyone can learn how to generate brilliant questions more often. Here's how.
s Bugs dragged the picnic table from across the patio, Ash pulled the chairs away to make room for him to set it next to the other table. They arranged the eleven chairs around the two tables, and it was almost like being in the conference room.
Bugs was still puzzled. "Tell me again why we're meeting out here," he said.
"We need to start asking some brilliant questions," said Ash. She pointed towards their building. "And we're hoping for some out-of-the-box thinking if we get outside that box."
It might work. Changing a team's surroundings can change the team's perspective. But even if you can't meet outside, you can get better at asking brilliant questions. Here are seven methods for generating brilliant questions.
Relax assumptions
Make a list of the assumptions the group is making, but which are outside their awareness. What if one of them weren't true? See "Assumptions and the Johari Window: Part I," Point Lookout for September 27, 2006, for more.
Question the facts
What if the facts aren't really facts? What's the evidence that something actually is fact? List the facts, and for each one ask, "How do we know this is true?"
Distinguish facts from explanations
Sometimes supposed facts are actually explanations of facts. For instance, some might believe that because the system fails only when the new module is installed, the problem is in the new module. And thus a "fact" is born: the problem is in the new module. But that's only an explanation. See "Critical Thinking and Midnight Pizza," Point Lookout for April 23, 2003, for more.
A brilliant question immediately halts discussion. It can save months of wasted effort.
Play the "As If" game
Try formulating a question that presupposes the group's goal. For instance, you could ask, "If we did have a process for turning lead into gold, what would we have to know?" Sometimes this is called "solving the problem in reverse."
Go "meta"
Ask yourself what you aren't asking questions about. What are the characteristics of the things that the group isn't looking into? Can you explain why the group bounded its inquiries in this way? If the basis of the boundary isn't proven knowledge, it's worth crossing the boundary.
Watch for "silver bullet" thinking
Sometimes groups focus on single-concept solutions. They assume that the problem has only one cause, or that a single innovation will produce all of the desired results. What if there are several contributing causes? Can we achieve the desired result using different approaches for different situations?
Decouple causes and effects
Some of the cause-effect associations we "know" might be wrong. Imagine that what we think of as an effect isn't an effect of the cause(s) we think it belongs to. Or imagine that a cause or effect has some effects we haven't yet identified. If so, what then?
Asking brilliant questions isn't rocket science. Why don't more of us do it more often? TopNext Issue
While reading "Asking Brilliant Questions" I also read "Midnight Pizza."
Sometimes I love your columns because they show me things I am doing wrong and how to do them better. But occasionally I love your columns because they show me the things I do right. Today was one of those days. I'm an "out of the box" thinker. I collect stories regarding assumptions and share them with people as I draw them into my world of "unassumptions."
My introduction of others to that world is so practiced, it sometimes seems rote. But it is not rote. It is a passion for me. Like a good lunch for cheap, I share it, preach it, and live it.
I have an empty compressor on my desk (named Wilson by some dry wit I used to work with; after the soccer ball on the movie Castaway) with a magnetic sign saying "What Did I Assume?" People ask me about it and I tell them the story of how I met Wilson. That opens the door to my lecture about assumptions, and how everyone makes assumptions all day every day without thinking. And I usually toss in my introduction to paradigms.
Occasionally I run across a person who, when I tell them my stories and explain how destructive assumptions can be, you can actually see the light come on in their eyes. Those are the people I seek out for my team members.
This thought process is a fundamental part of who I am, but you have helped me realize it is a valuable skill that makes me good at my job.
Are your projects always (or almost always) late and over budget? Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations, filled with tips and techniques for organizational leaders. Order Now!
Rumors about organizational intentions or expectations can depress productivity. Even when they're factually false, rumors can be so powerful that they sometimes produce the results they predict. How can we manage organizational rumors?
When we notice patterns or coincidences, we draw conclusions about things we can't or didn't directly observe. Sometimes the conclusions are right, and sometimes not. When they're not, organizations, careers and people can suffer. To be right more often, we must master critical thinking.
When we ask for help, from peers or from those with organizational power, we have some choices. How we go about it can determine whether we get the help we need, in time for the help to help.
Politicians know that answering hypothetical questions is dangerous, but it's equally dangerous for managers and project managers to answer them in the project context. What's the problem? Why should you be careful of the "What If?"
Participating in or managing a virtual team presents special communications challenges. Here's Part II of some guidelines for communicating with members of virtual teams.
I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates.
Contact me for details at rbrenner@ChacoCanyon.com
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s Bugs dragged the picnic table from across the patio, Ash pulled the chairs away to make room for him to set it next to the other table. They arranged the eleven chairs around the two tables, and it was almost like being in the conference room.
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Next IssueAre your projects always (or almost always) late and over budget? Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations, filled with tips and techniques for organizational leaders. Order Now!
There Is No Rumor Mill
Critical Thinking and Midnight Pizza
Help for Asking for Help
The Hypothetical Trap
Virtual Communications: Part II
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Ever wonder if there isn't a better way to travel? Travel is essential, but the hassles of travel aren't. Read 202 Tips for Business Travel to learn how to convert business travel from a time-wasting hassle to a breeze. Revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
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Are you doing work you love? Are you less in love with the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run to learn what we can do when we love the work but not the job. It helps you get moving again!
The key to managing virtual or global teams is creating a sense of team despite the obstacles of separation. Read my tips booklet, 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams, to learn how to make your virtual global team sing. Newly revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
Are you managing a change effort that faces rampant cynicism, passive non-cooperation, or maybe even outright revolt? Read 101 Tips for Managing Change to learn how to plan and execute your change efforts to inspire real, passionate support. Check it out!
A Tip a Day arrives by email each business day. It's 20 to 30 words at most, and gives you a new perspective on the hassles and rewards of work life. Most tips also contain links to related articles. Free!
Do you ever wonder if all these meetings are really necessary? (They aren't) Or whether there isn't some better way to get this work done? (There is) Read 101 Tips for Effective Meetings to learn how to make meetings more productive — and more rare. Check it out!
