Scribd
Upload
28 views2 pages

Ask The Right Creative Questions: Take Ownership of The Question

To provide creative solutions, it is important to ask the right questions. You should take time to understand the problem clearly and formulate it as a question in a way that encourages creativity. Some tips include taking ownership of the problem by rephrasing feedback as a question, developing the question over time rather than rushing to answers, and avoiding negative or restrictive questions. Well-framed, stimulating questions that consider multiple perspectives can lead to innovative responses.

Uploaded by

Swagat Pradhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views2 pages

Ask The Right Creative Questions: Take Ownership of The Question

To provide creative solutions, it is important to ask the right questions. You should take time to understand the problem clearly and formulate it as a question in a way that encourages creativity. Some tips include taking ownership of the problem by rephrasing feedback as a question, developing the question over time rather than rushing to answers, and avoiding negative or restrictive questions. Well-framed, stimulating questions that consider multiple perspectives can lead to innovative responses.

Uploaded by

Swagat Pradhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Essential

Ask the right


creative questions

Before seeking to provide a creative response, you should ensure that


you have formulated the problem clearly and that you are asking the right
questions. It is the questions you ask that mainly determine the reality of
what you perceive and the extent to which it is possible to be innovative.
These questions must be in a form that does not discourage creativity but
rather stimulates it and encourages new forms of action to be explored.

Take ownership of the question

Deal with the problem Example: Ask what technical solutions can be
provided for the customer who, in fact, is expressing
A creative question is often the outcome of a need for consideration and recognition.
management or customer feedback on a problem,
without the request necessarily being clearly stated. As Peter Drucker, the eminent expert on
management theory, said, "The most serious mistakes
Example: Our costs are too high and, at the same are not being made as a result of the wrong answers.
time, our competitors are offering customers new It's asking the wrong questions."
services...

Our first instinct is to take ownership of the problem, Develop the question
to make it our own by examining it dispassionately
and reformulating it if necessary, before suggesting It is essential to allow yourself sufficient time to
any plan of action. think about the question, to take all the time you
need to allow it to develop. This question is what will
Example: What's behind my manager's remark about determine the reality of what you perceive and the
what our competitors are offering and our costs type of solution you should be looking for.
being too high?
Example: A question focusing on "costs" will make
the financial aspect the driving force in the search for
Identify the question solutions.

Before seeking to provide a creative response, Working on the question continuously, rather than
you should clarify the problem by rephrasing the getting locked into too restrictive ways of thinking, is
remarks and comments you have received in the fundamental in channeling creativity effectively. As
form of a question. This stage, which is too often Einstein said, "If I had an hour to save the world,
overlooked, plays a fundamental role in the search for I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem."
new ideas. Too much time can be spent on fruitlessly
searching for answers to badly expressed problems,
or on inappropriate solutions or ideas due to lack
of preparation and failure to ask the right questions.

This file and its contents are the property of CrossKnowledge.


1/
Any representation or reproduction for any use other than private use is explicitly forbidden. 2
Essential
Ask the right
creative questions

Assess the question

The pitfalls to be avoided The right steps to take

There are a certain number of pitfalls to be avoided A well-framed question, on the other hand, will
in formulating the question that will direct the search stimulate creativity. The following may help:
for creative solutions. The following in particular
should be avoided: • Formulate dynamic, stimulating questions.
Example: Is there something new that we can offer
• Negative questions that do not generate any our customers?
strong desire for success.
Example: How do we stop our sales from declining? • Formulate inclusive questions (that use "and"
rather than "or").
• Questions that will be perceived as a paradox. Example: How can we control costs and at the
Example: How do we suggest a new product same time provide new services?
without taking risks?
• Ask questions that introduce new playing fields.
• Questions that lack imagination and restrict Example: How can we rely on our customer and
possible strategies. user base to provide new services?
Example: How can we lower our prices to attract
more customers? Such an approach to questioning can lead to creative
solutions for responding to competitors' pricing
• Questions that present exclusive choices. offensives, through new services at no additional cost
Example: Should we reduce our costs or offer new to customers.
services?

This file and its contents are the property of CrossKnowledge.


2/
Any representation or reproduction for any use other than private use is explicitly forbidden. 2

You might also like