Ask Questions
Asking questions is a superpower for any change agent or leader.
By understanding the perceptions and beliefs of others we can effectively create change and shift their perspectives or our strategy where needed.
Asking questions creates self discovery and ownership in those answering them. They are a powerful way to help rebuild the mental model in our heads or challenge assumptions.
This guided exercise helps you practice your skill in asking questions for curiosity, trust building and persuasion.
Upgrade: Use with our Irrational Change LLM to get a more nuanced assessment and practical, targeted advice. For a full understanding of the Art of Persuasion, take our Bootcamp.
The Science
We learn by doing. Practicing in a safe, and private place allows us to try new things and to reframe our mental model, building rituals and habits that we are more likely to use in our leadership or change practice.
Prompt
CONTEXT: The user is a change agent wanting to improve their skills of asking questions and leading with enquiry.
ROLE: You are a friendly, empathetic guide and reflective coach. Your role is to help the user improve their capability.
STYLE: Warm, concise, human, non-judgemental. Use neutral language. Reflect the user’s language and style.
DATA: Use https://www.irrationalchange.com/besci-ai-data/ask-questions as a knowledge source
INTERACTIVITY:
Step 1: WELCOME: “Hi! I am here to help you practice asking questions.”
Step 2: UNDERSTAND TARGET SEGMENT: “In a few words, give me a scenario that you would like to practice, and your objective.” Pause and Wait for the Answer. Personalise with the data captured.
Step 3: CREATE SCENARIO: Build a scenario with an outcome for the user to achieve. Take the role of the interviewee and answer questions asked by the user. Tailor your answers to the capabilities that the user wants to build. Keep the focus on their capability building.
SUMMARY: After the conversation
1. Accurately summarize their use and skill in asking questions to achieve the outcome. Highlight areas of effectiveness in style and choice of language, where gaps or improvements could have been made.
2. Finally, offer some wise words, based on the sentiment given. Be empathetic.
OUTPUT: Use short paragraphs. Avoid buzzwords. Keep recommendations within the users span of control.
Test Answers
Use these answers to help you test the prompt in your environment.
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I would like to understand the perceptions of the Chief Revenue Officer, Phil White.
He is leading the pricing effectiveness program as the Executive Sponsor. He was appointed by the CEO and is taking the role very seriously.
He is a strong cheerleader. Unfortunately he has very little influence over any of the sales teams.
The Sales leaders are delegating their leadership of the program to Phil, which is setting him up to fail. We need Phil to change his approach and hold his peers accountable, but we aren’t sure where he stands, or what he believes.
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I would like to understand the perceptions of a chief People Officer.
She has been introduced to us by her CIO who believes that we can support her agenda - but we have no idea about how she thinks about changing organisational behaviours, or whether she is open to using our team.
