Key Messages
Learn How To Ask The Right Questions To Get The Answers You Need
In Find Out Anything From Anyone, Anytime by Jake Peterson, you’ll learn the skills and techniques to uncover the answers that you need from any conversation.
By understanding what W-words are and why you should use them, what types of questions to avoid and how one question can give you multiple answers, this book will help equip you with the knowledge needed to get all the information that you desire.
Whether it be about your teenage child, a new recruit for your business or getting all the details about a loved one’s day – this book offers invaluable tips on how to craft your questions in order to draw out the answers that are needed.
This is essential knowledge for anyone wanting enough information to make reasonable decisions.
The Power Of W-Words: Unlocking Fuller And More Satisfying Responses
If you’re looking for the best answer to your questions, it pays to think about the words you use.
Questions that start with who, what, why, where, when and how yield the greatest results, since they encourage more nuanced replies than simple “yes” or “no” answers.
Take Jennie’s conversation with her friend as an example.
When she asked straightforard yes/no questions such as “did you go somewhere?”, she only got short replies in return.
But when she started her questions with a W-word – e.g “why did you go?” – her friend was able to provide more detailed and satisfying answers.
By beginning their conversations with W-words, questioners lead their respondents away from basic yes/no responses and towards fuller explanations that reveal much more information.
That’s why it’s important to remember this tip; after all, getting the most out of a conversation starts by asking the right questions!
Avoid Leading, Vague, Negative, And Compound Questions For Better Interviews
If you want to get useful information from someone, you need to ask the right questions.
And that means avoiding certain types of questions that don’t always yield useful responses.
There are four types of bad questions you should watch out for: leading questions, vague questions, negative questions and compound questions.
Leading questions involve suggesting the desired answer in the question itself.
Vague questions are too broad and often cannot be answered effectively.
Negative questions contain too many negatives or double negatives, making it hard for the person it is being asked to understand.
And finally, compound questions involve asking multiple separate inquiries within one sentence – something which can lead to a respondent forgetting one half of the question!
By remembering these four types of bad questioning style, you can ensure that when trying to talk to someone and find out information from them, your question will be likely to result in an insightful response!
The Importance Of Asking “What Else?” When Investigating And Problem-Solving
“What else?” is often the best question you can ask – no matter what situation you’re in.
This phrase helps to uncover details that may not have been immediately apparent, giving you a full picture of the issue or scenario at hand.
Take tech support, for example.
By asking “What else?”, the technician can really delve into the problem and find out the root cause.
When your computer won’t resize an image and all you say is “I can’t resize an image,” there’s only so much they can do to help.
But if they keep asking “What else?,” more information will come out.
Suddenly, it goes from “Can’t resize images” to “Image editing software keeps crashing.”
For military investigators, this phrase allows them to get a broader view of an incident quickly and accurately.
Questions such as “What were you doing?” may result in one-word answers that don’t give enough context to understand what is going on.
However, by following up with “What else?”, investigators can uncover hidden details that lead them to a much clearer understanding of the situation.
In short: if you want to learn anything from anyone anytime, “What else?” should be your go-to phrase!
Experience The Magic Of Reframing Questions And Delve Deeper To Uncover The Truth!
When you’re looking to get to the heart of things, simply asking questions isn’t always enough.
That’s why those who are looking to find out anything from anyone should consider reframing and repeating their questions.
This method can be especially effective when it comes to uncovering the truth.
Let’s take a look at an example.
Say you’re interviewing your favorite football manager for a sports blog.
You’ve prepared a list of questions and really want them all answered as thoroughly as possible.
Rather than rapidly moving from one question to the next, delve deeper into what they have told you by reframing your existing query.
So if they answer “Eleven last time I counted” in response to the number of players playing in the upcoming World Cup match against Brazil, ask a different question that goes deeper—possibly something like “And how many hotel rooms have you booked?”.
It can also be beneficial to ask for information twice in order to make sure that you’re receiving accurate answers and getting closer to uncovering the truth.
For instance, if someone tells you that their new product will be ready within three months’ time and then after further questioning says there is no guarantee due to beta testing or patent confirmation, honesty has been achieved because of asking multiple times for the same information.
So remember, if you’re trying to get more accurate and detailed responses—reframe some of your questions and don’t hesitate on repeating them either!
The Art Of Asking Questions: Adapt To Your Interlocutor’S Character And Motives
It’s important to remember that when you’re trying to get information out of someone, you also have to put yourself in their shoes.
Think about whether your respondent has something to lose or gain from answering your questions.
Take a war situation as an example – if the person captured has been trained to resist questioning, they may not answer out of fear for their family and friends.
On the flip side, an elderly medical patient may be eager to talk and reveal all the aches and pains they’ve ever felt in order to find relief.
They might even overshare every detail because they are motivated by wanting help.
You should also consider the personality type of the person you’re asking questions of – are they more private or open? Are they only providing their own opinions as facts? All these factors can influence how much or how little information is revealed.
The Different Types Of Questions Depending On The Profession: A Comparison Between Teachers And Medical Practitioners
Your profession can tell you a lot about the type of questions you’ll ask.
For example, teachers are usually more inclined to ask penetrating questions that make students think deeply, while medical practitioners will have different types of questions depending on their role.
For instance, when calling a general health hotline, nurses use scripted questions to quickly reach a probable diagnosis.
This allows them to assess the situation and determine if the condition is urgent or not.
On the other hand, those who call 911 with serious conditions are much less likely to be asked these routine questions and instead they receive an emergency response immediately.
Essentially, whatever your profession may be – teacher, medical practitioner, etc.
– it will affect the kind of questions you ask in your line of work.
The more knowledge you have about your field of expertise, the better equipped you’ll be to come up with thoughtful and calculating inquiries.
The Power Of Asking The Right Questions In Journalism: How The “What?”, “Where?”, And “What Else?” Questions Help To Uncover The Full Story
When it comes to being a good reporter, it’s important to focus on the facts rather than trying to form an opinion.
The newsroom must remain under control and unbiased, so it’s vital that journalists ask “What?” and “Where?” rather than “Why?”.
Take for example the Twin Towers attack in 2001.
Instead of speculating about the terrorists’ motivations, the media focused on what was happening at 8:45 a.m.
and 9:03 a.m when the planes crashed into the towers, as well as other details such as President Bush speaking in Florida at 9:30 a.m., the Port Authority closing bridges at 9:21 a.m., and the emergency services responding – all before mentioning Al-Qaeda.
This method of reporting allows listeners or viewers to make their own connections between events without forming any uninformed opinions ahead of time.
What’s even more important is that journalists continue asking “What else?” while investigating in order to understand fully why events are occurring, uncovering any similar things that happened before this particular event arose.
By focusing on events in time chronologically like this, reporters can bring out accurate information and avoid bias when presenting their stories – making them better reporters overall!
Wrap Up
Overall, the key takeaway from “Find Out Anything From Anyone, Anytime” is to use W-words (What, Where, When, Why and How) and the invaluable question “What else?” when asking questions.
This will help you generate more detailed responses that will help you get a fuller picture of any topic.
Additionally, the author suggests keeping a question journal to record your interactions with people so you can observe which questions are most effective in getting the best answers.
At its core this book’s advice is simple: ask better questions and take good notes.
If you put it into practice it will surely benefit your career prospects.
With increased knowledge through enhanced communication skills comes increased confidence that will be noticed by your colleagues!
