Questions are powerful
So let’s learn to love them!
It’s clear: asking questions makes sense.
The data tells us that questions increase engagement, create conversations, build trust, and make you more successful. At the same time, we’re trained out of asking questions.
However, asking questions a skill that can be developed, improved, and practiced!
In business, questions determine your success. In life, a questioning practice can be transformative.
Basically, questions are a kind of magic you can tap in to!
The Data
I deeply believe in the power of asking questions, but there’s plenty of research behind this belief, too!
You’ll be 9% more liked
A 2017 study out of Harvard University found that asking questions helped increase how much you’re liked. There’s cool dopamine reasons, for it, but the end result is liking!
You’ll encourage action
Sometimes called the Question-Behavior Effect, when you ask someone a question, they’re around 25% more likely to take the action you ask about.
You’ll succeed more often
When you ask yourself a question about a new task you’re attempting, you are around 50% more likely to succeed at that task.
We tend to overestimate the risk of just asking.
A 2021 paper by researchers from George Mason, University of Utah, and Wharton found that we tend to overestimate risk of asking questions.
