Great Questions

Part of what I do for a living is to help people ask better questions. There’s two main types of questions: open ended and closed ended. The closed ended questions solicit a one or two word answer. The open ended ones require them to think and gets them talking. Most people tend to ask closed ended questions and it’s hard to break them of it. My challenge is to get people to stop asking questions that begin with verbs and to change them to begin with who, what, why or how. These questions begin a conversation.

When I look at the question Jesus asked throughout the Gospels, He was masterful with open ended questions. “Why do you worry about what tomorrow will bring? Who do people say that I am? What good is it if a man gains the whole world and loses his own soul? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He asked very few closed ended questions. I like to think that it’s because He was truly interested to hear what people had to say. He already knew what was in their heart.

Asking the right questions makes all the difference in the world when you’re reaching someone. The Pharisees constantly came at Jesus with questions intended to trap Him. Jesus typically responded with questions to help them see how narrow minded they were. Questions are very powerful when used the right way. They can help you see things differently, open your eyes to problems and change your course. The right question opens doors.

In the 90’s, Dodge ran a series of commercials that said, “We questioned everything.” In the end, they changed their body style, created the “cab forward design” and catapulted their sales. By asking the right questions, they changed the trajectory of their business. When we learn to ask the right questions in our lives, we will also be able to change the trajectory. There are certain questions to help with that. My two favorite are “how” questions and “why” questions.

The “how” questions help me think through the process of what I want to accomplish. How can I show the love of Christ to others better than I am? How can I accomplish more for the Kingdom of God? These are questions that help me think through things. The questions I often forget to ask are “why” questions. These are the most important. These tell me the driving force behind what I’m doing. They give the desire to accomplish the how. Why do I need to show the love of Christ to others? What happens if I don’t?

If we get so focused on the how or how we’ve always done things, we will get burned out because we will lose our passion. Asking ourselves why will keep us motivated to do the work of the Kingdom. The how has to change over time, but the why remains constant. I’m always looking for better ways to serve others and to show His love, but why I do it stays the same: that none may perish. Spend time today asking yourself why questions and how questions. You’ll find fresh ways to do things as well as reconnect with your passion.