Knowing how to ask smart questions, what are the benefits for managers?

As a manager, you may think you need to know everything, and this makes you hesitant to ask questions. However, you should and here's why.

Great questions lead to great discoveries

If you ask profound questions, you will get thoughtful answers. If you ask superficial questions, you will only get boring answers. If you don't ask questions, you won't get any answers.

Asking questions helps develop employees' critical thinking

An employee's critical thinking skills can determine how successful a team is. If you always give answers or instructions, employees will become dependent. But when you ask questions and guide them to find the best answers, you train employees to be proactive and effective problem solvers.

Ask questions that will drive engagement

Team members often feel frustrated when they are not consulted or voiced their opinions, especially regarding topics on which they are experts.

Simple questions like What do you think? How's everything? How can we do better? What can I help?... will spark creative thinking and foster collaboration and make employees feel more empowered and enthusiastic about their work.

Asking the right questions helps make better decisions

Making the wrong conclusion because you don't have the right information can damage your reputation as a manager. Therefore, it is paramount to examine the issues involved by asking the right questions.

“Asking smart questions not only makes you a better manager, but it can also help employees improve their inquiry skills.”

As you can see, asking smart questions will give you many advantages in a management role. So how to ask questions effectively?

Ask open-ended questions

The key point is to ask questions that make the listener not only describe what happened, but also reveal what they are thinking. Open-ended questions prevent you from making judgments and elicit some unexpected answers that may lead to better outcomes.

Constructing questions that begin with the What, How, and Why will encourage dialogue, and will even make it more open and natural. This is the key to finding a solution that really works and is also the factor that helps you become a wise manager.

Show interest

When asking questions, show that you care with positive facial expressions and body language. This will encourage the conversation to go further and everyone to share information that can be very important.

For example, if you are interviewing a job candidate, you need to get them to talk about not only their achievements but also their failures and how they overcame it. Of course, they will only open up if you actively show interest and listen attentively.

Dig deeper

Many managers often make the mistake of assuming that no bad news means everything is fine. In practice, this may mean that employees are afraid to share negative information.

So in conversations, dig into the details and avoid making comments or judgments. Focusing on inquiry rather than judgment when asking questions will help you get to know all sides, including the dark side of the matter.

Use silence

Using silence is an effective way to ask questions. Pausing for at least 3 seconds before asking a question helps emphasize the importance of what is being asked. Pausing after the first answer can also encourage respondents to continue diving into the answer.

Ask each member of the group

In group situations, managers often want to involve as many people in the discussion or debate as possible. This can be achieved by questioning each group member.

The benefit of this technique is that members who are active, less active or want to contribute but don't have the opportunity are all answered. However, care needs to be taken in situations like these as some people will feel nervous when speaking in public. Encourage but do not force quiet members to participate.

Besides, there are a few other tactics that are also very useful such as:

- Ask questions one by one;

- Don't over-explain your question, just get to the heart of the matter;

- Only ask questions that you really want answers to, don't give advice "disguised" as a question;

Ask meaningful follow-up questions, such as “Why do you feel this way?” or “If we do this, what do you think will happen?”

Asking smart questions and doing it collaboratively is a good habit for managers. It creates an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing issues that affect their performance as well as that of the team. As a result, you'll build trust, boost employee morale, drive innovation, and improve performance.