Commentary
The ability to ask questions is not reserved for interviewers or leaders. Questioning is a way we can understand another point of view other than our own. We asked Patrick T. Malone to review and comment on Benjamin Kessler’s article which shares information from research done by Einav Hart, BA, MA, PhD. Malone’s comments and Kessler’s article are linked below.
Kessler says to make some of life’s most important decisions, it helps to ask sensitive questions even when they touch on potentially sensitive issues, such as finances or personal experiences.
Our fears of asking questions that feel too sensitive or personal are often overblown. When phrased in the right way, they can lead to better decisions and stronger relationships.” – Einav Hart, BA, MA, PhD
Source: School of Business at George Mason University, May 12, 2023. Link. Hart’s continuing research shows that the truthfulness of answers can correspond to how the questions are phrased but also signal information about the asker themselves: Their knowledge, assumptions, and preferences.
Source: Patrick T. Malone, May 2023. Link.
Open-ended questions get information . . . close-ended questions only get confirmation . . . questions without acknowledgements sound very much like an interrogation”