The Power of Better Questions
Weds ◆ January 31 ◆ 2024
If you’ve been watching the latest addition to HBO’s True Detective anthology, starring Jodie Foster and a mountain of frozen mansicles, you’ve heard her character demand that her underlings ask better questions.
The right questions.
This makes such a meaningful difference (for Jodie Foster and for us).
There might not be stupid questions (my jury’s out on that)…
…but there sure are useless ones.
A quick way to spot a relatively dead-end question?
Most of them are answered with yes or no.
That’s a great way to put an end to an unwanted conversation but sucks if you’re trying to excavate information, conduct an interview or be a supportive listener (even to yourself).
Consider executive performance coach and psychologist Dr. Julie Gurner’s take on asking better questions:
The questions you ask yourself will largely determine the answers you get.
“Why am I not successful?”
You’ll get answers that berate you.
“How can I succeed here?”
You’ll get answers that push you.
Kate Murphy’s book You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters was not only an eye-opener, but a quick, can’t-put-down page turner. Highly recommend.
To ask better questions and be a better listener, Murphy suggests:
Ask curious questions that elicit more information, not ones that subtly impose your own opinion — open-ended questions like:
“What was your reaction?” not “Didn’t that piss you off?”
Fill-in-the-blank questions are useful in this respect:
“You and Roger got in a fight because…?”
That way it’s like you’re handing off a baton, allowing the speaker to go in whatever direction the person wants.
New, Convenient Whey Protein Isolate I’m Trying
I have no affiliation with Vade Nutrition.
Just started using their protein pods this week. I was using another single-serving whey protein but it’s so much packaging waste and wasn’t crazy about the flavor.
I travel a lot and lugging a jar of powder is not only cumbersome but has caused me issues in several European airports if ya catch my drift.
So far, loving these this week. They’re the perfect 20g serving for my peri-workout drink, dissolves quickly with no clumps, and comes vacuum sealed.
They even have a plant-based protein (but I haven’t tried). The sucralose and sorbitol don’t bother me. The dose makes the poison. Most of the studies on artificial sweeteners fail to mention how much you would have to actually consume for a negative effect. Do your research. You know what’s best for you.
You can check them out here»
Congrats on Wrapping Up Phase 1 of 12 Week Physique!
Big shout out to the Deep Kimchi supporters getting after the workouts and showing up for themselves IN STRENGTH this month! Woooot!
So effing proud of you. 🔥🏋🏻♀️💪🏾 You’ve earned your deload week and will send details on how to make the most of it in our private chat on Friday.
If you didn’t get a chance to kick off with us earlier this month, it’s never too late to start getting stronger by the day no matter where you are.
The weekly workouts are here:
Thanks for taking the time to read this today, frens! You’ve got this. Trust in what you love and it will take you where you need to go.
You are not a damsel in distress. Be the hero of your story,
M
♥️P.S.
Speaking of questions, have any in need of answering? Drop them in the comments below.