The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish
#26 Warren Berger: Improving The Questions You Ask
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Asking the right questions sparks innovation and creativity.
- Educational systems and societal norms discourage questioning.
- Authentic curiosity drives good questioning, leading to new perspectives and solutions.
Deep dives
Importance of Curiosity in Asking Questions
Being rooted in curiosity, asking questions enables individuals to explore the unknown and tackle challenges. Questions shape how we frame problems and challenges, allowing us to approach them from different angles. Authentic curiosity drives good questioning, leading to the discovery of new perspectives and solutions.
Challenges in Nurturing Curiosity and Questioning
From a young age, factors like educational systems and societal norms discourage questioning, making it seem inefficient or uncool. Lack of reward for asking questions and the perception of questions as distractions contribute to a decline in curiosity. Knowledge also plays a role, as feeling knowledgeable can hinder the inclination to ask questions.
Diverse Approaches to Asking Questions
There is no right or wrong way to ask questions, but authentic curiosity is key. While informed questions can be more insightful, outsider questions from novices can bring fresh perspectives. Good questions do not require categorization by level but should stem from genuine curiosity about the subject.
Importance of Asking Naive Questions
Asking naive questions, similar to those of a four-year-old, can lead to valuable insights and prompt individuals to rethink their approach. Both informed and uninformed questions are essential, fostering a culture where questioning is valued, fostering worthwhile discussions and fresh perspectives.
Encouraging Curiosity and Ownership of Questions
Encouraging questions, giving them focus, and guiding individuals to explore answers on their own can foster curiosity and ownership of the learning process. Rather than providing immediate answers, nurturing ownership of questions can lead to innovation and continuous learning in various environments, whether in education, companies, or personal development.
Through asking the right questions we can spark innovation and creativity, gain deeper knowledge in the topics that are most important to us, and propel us forward in our personal and professional pursuits.
Yet very few of us do it well — if we do it at all.
My guest on the podcast today is Warren Berger — journalist, speaker, best selling author, and self-proclaimed questionologist.
His insightful book A More Beautiful Question shows how the world’s leading innovators, education leaders, creative thinkers, and red-hot start-ups ask game-changing questions to nurture creativity, solve problems, and create new possibilities.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of asking the right questions, why they’re critical to your success, and how you may be one great question away from a major breakthrough.
You’ll also learn:
- How Warren manages the constant input and stimulation from online consumption when it’s time to create.
- The small habits that pack the biggest punch and make the most difference in Warren’s life
- What makes a question more or less effective
- How to create a culture where questions are welcome and encouraged
- Why answering all your kids’ questions may be doing them a disservice — and what to do instead
- What “collaborative inquiry” is and how to use it to get the most out of your teams in the workplace
- How Warren transformed one of his most painful failures into one of his most proud achievements
- Why Warren insists that everyone is creative, and what we can do to fan the flames of our own creativity
If you think you could improve the quality (and frequency) of your questions to enhance key areas of your life, this is not a conversation you’ll want to miss.
Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/
Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/
Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
