❓ Better questions get better answers
A common challenge in communication is getting people to open up and share what they really think. One way to improve this is to avoid leading questions, which steer a person toward a particular answer instead of letting them respond freely. Some examples:
| Leading question | Open-ended alternative |
|---|---|
| “What do you think about SAP?” | “Can you walk me through how you currently manage your core business processes (finance, operations, etc.)?” |
| “Have you ever thought of having a PMO?” | “How do you currently organize and oversee your projects and initiatives?” |
| “Have you ever thought of a web site?” | “How do customers typically find information about your company and its services today?” |
| “Why don't you use Git?” | “How do you currently track changes and collaborate on code?” |
| “Why aren't you Release First?” | “Can you describe your current process for making work available for others to use?” |
The key is to start with the problem we are solving instead of our preconceived solution. So ... what is your process for making work available for others to use?
