When enjoying the freedom of hostel life & college, regular calls from relations meant I was bombarded with questions.

Who is your roommate? What did you eat? How are your studies? Why didn’t you write home? Where do you go on weekends?

This style of communicating and showing me they care was tiresome and made me avoid calls. I kept wondering- isn’t there a better way to inquire? To show you care? To gather information?

 At a recent event for Coaches, a Leadership team was introduced using the 5W1H a.k.a Kipling method (Who, Why, When, Where, What, & How). Replacing the standard introduction of each member that covers name, designation, qualifications, achievements and some unusual trait. (Information that is available on LinkedIn at the click of a button.) Participants were invited to ask a leader a question that stemmed from any of the 5Ws or 1H. Questions that were asked, gave insights that would never have been shared with the run-of-the-mill introduction.

 “Who inspired you to choose this as your profession?”, “What worries you about the future of this Industry?” “Where do you see the most change”, “Why do you feel this is a service that Organisations need?”, “How do you stay relevant?”, “When do you feel an assignment is successfully completed?”

The result – interesting & useful insights into the Leadership team. Questions that are provoking, that take the conversation beyond the mundane and that give us valuable information as well. Adept speakers were able to answer the question, while telling us more about themselves.

 Last year we introduced this style of questioning to a group of people at the delivery end of a service. They were seen as, and saw themselves as, logistics managers. Using a new style of questioning led to them collaborating with the Design & Solutions teams and playing a more relevant role in enhancing the product.

 Questions can be seen as interrogation or as proof of doubt and suspicion. Which results in answers that are defensive or antagonistic. Using the 5W1H method to ask meaningful questions, with genuine curiosity, can create constructive & collaborative conversations. So do practice changing the tenor of your questions. It helps the person you are talking to clarify their thoughts further. It changes argument to understanding.

Conversations between: Boss to Reportee Old Question: Why is this not finished in time?

Changed Question: What came in the way of completing this? What changed?

Conversations between: Peer to Peer

Old Question: What makes you think that will work?

Changed Question: What could stop us from achieving success if we use this route? Who else may use this method?

Conversations between: Boss to Team 

Old Question: Where do you think the money for this will come from?

Changed Question: How can we make this a reality?

Conversations between: Parent to child

Old Question: Why have you not finished your homework?

Changed Question:  What else will help you finish on time?

Conversations between: Self to Partner/Spouse 

Old Question: Who are you doing this for?

Changed Question: What changed your mind about doing this?

This content was created for a Birla Sun Life Insurance web portal

#5W1H #Constructivequestions #collaboration