Excellent why questions

This question shows that you're interested in and respect them. Pets are like an extension of their owners. There's always a funny story or two that comes with talking about pets. These conversation starters spark discussions. They're direct questions that give the other person a specific topic to wax about. That's what makes them so useful. Sometimes these questions to ask someone may feel a little random.

Embrace it! Some of the best conversations come right out of left field. People like hanging out with someone who can keep them on their toes. Use these conversation starters sparingly. After all, your goal is to start a conversation , not interrogate your company.

Listen to their responses, and give your own. The art of conversation is a two-way street. Share some laughs about your favorite scenes. If you haven't seen it, you've got a new movie to check out. This question is great because it requires zero effort to answer, and it can lead to other conversations about food.

This is a funny question, but it can say a lot about the person. After all, answers like an owl or a lion tell you a lot. This list is the cream of the crop. Some of the questions will make you think.

Others help you get to know the other person better. They're extremely versatile. If you're in a rush to find some solid questions to ask someone, this list should treat you right. This conversation gets the imagination flowing. It can lead to fascinating discussions about the future. This question is great because it's deep, but not too intrusive. It can be light and easy or more in-depth, depending on how the person answering feels.

This is another question that tells you a lot about the person without going too deep. It can also help you to appreciate the beauty of other seasons. In order to understand what makes people tick, you need to ask them questions.

These are the best get to know you questions for connecting with someone. They also help the other person get to know you. Some of these questions may seem surface-level, but the responses you get can really tell you a lot about the other person. Read between the lines.

Learning about a person's sense of humor is an amazing way to bond with them over some laughs. Weird doesn't always mean bad. Humans tend to have unique characteristics, and that's what makes us special. Learning about a person's childhood provides insight into who they are today. Whether you're chilling with your crush, going on a first date , or just hanging with a female friend, you want to be entertaining.

At very least, you don't want to be silent! These questions to ask a girl give you something to say. Having questions in mind and ready to go naturally inspires confidence. After all, when you study for a test, you feel less nervous, right? It's the same principle. Besides helping to fill the silence, these questions can tell you a lot about the person you're with. They also show her that you're interested in her.

Sometimes a good conversation is one of the best memories after a hangout session, so don't overlook the importance of having solid questions prepared. After all, your natural charm can only get you so far. This question can help you to understand how she views herself, and the type of person she would like to be. These questions to ask a guy are geared towards a male perspective.

Whether you're vetting a new co-worker, shooting the breeze with your boys, or making small talk at the office, these questions will keep the conversation interesting. Feel free to tweak these questions to fit your specific situation.

Sometimes these questions will also spawn new conversations. Just go with the flow. Keep it light, easy, and natural, but don't be afraid to get into deeper discussions if they arise. Are they more of a party person or a chiller?

No matter how long you've been together, sometimes you run out of things to talk about with your girlfriend. That's where we come in. This list of questions to ask your girlfriend is perfect for long drives, dinner conversation, or just for hanging out on the couch. Some of them help you to connect with her on a deeper level , others are just for making small talk. Asking your girlfriend questions is a great way to let her know that you still care about her.

Relationships take work and time. These questions help you strengthen your bond. This question, though simple, can actually be very meaningful. Communication is essential to the success of any relationship. It's nice to check in every once in a while. These questions for couples all have one thing in common: romance! Keep an open mind, and make sure you give your own answers too. It's important that these questions aren't one-sided. Use them to ignite conversations.

Everyone has their own idea of what love means and is. Try to find common ground and create your perfect idea of love together. Sharing memories is a wonderful way to reconnect and remember why you're together in the first place. Try to be open-minded. This can be a sensitive subject, but it can lead to positive changes in the long run.

But if you have some questions to ask friends at your disposal, you'll constantly discover more about them. In the words of Bill Nye, Science rules.

Was it the Falcon Heavy Launch? How about Crispr? We all need to tone it down sometimes. Sometimes the question asker learns a lot about her partner, the answerer feels heard, and both come away feeling profoundly closer. Other times, one of the participants may feel uncomfortable in his role or unsure about how much to share, and the conversation can feel like an interrogation. Our research suggests several approaches that can enhance the power and efficacy of queries.

The best approach for a given situation depends on the goals of the conversationalists—specifically, whether the discussion is cooperative for example, the duo is trying to build a relationship or accomplish a task together or competitive the parties seek to uncover sensitive information from each other or serve their own interests , or some combination of both. Consider the following tactics. Conversations fall along a continuum from purely competitive to purely cooperative.

Here are some challenges that commonly arise when asking and answering questions and tactics for handling them. Not all questions are created equal. How are you? Although each type is abundant in natural conversation, follow-up questions seem to have special power.

They signal to your conversation partner that you are listening, care, and want to know more. People interacting with a partner who asks lots of follow-up questions tend to feel respected and heard. No one likes to feel interrogated—and some types of questions can force answerers into a yes-or-no corner. Open-ended questions can counteract that effect and thus can be particularly useful in uncovering information or learning something new.

Indeed, they are wellsprings of innovation—which is often the result of finding the hidden, unexpected answer that no one has thought of before. For example, if you are in a tense negotiation or are dealing with people who tend to keep their cards close to their chest, open-ended questions can leave too much wiggle room, inviting them to dodge or lie by omission. In such situations, closed questions work better, especially if they are framed correctly.

In these situations, a survey tactic can aid discovery. Although this tactic may sometimes prove useful at an organizational level—we can imagine that managers might administer a survey rather than ask workers directly about sensitive information such as salary expectations—we counsel restraint in using it.

The optimal order of your questions depends on the circumstances. During tense encounters, asking tough questions first, even if it feels socially awkward to do so, can make your conversational partner more willing to open up. Leslie and her coauthors found that people are more willing to reveal sensitive information when questions are asked in a decreasing order of intrusiveness.

Of course, if the first question is too sensitive, you run the risk of offending your counterpart. There are few business settings in which asking questions is more important than sales. A recent study of more than , business-to-business sales conversations—over the phone and via online platforms—by tech company Gong. Consistent with past research, the data shows a strong connection between the number of questions a salesperson asks and his or her sales conversion rate in terms of both securing the next meeting and eventually closing the deal.

This is true even after controlling for the gender of the salesperson and the call type demo, proposal, negotiation, and so on. However, there is a point of diminishing returns. Conversion rates start to drop off after about 14 questions, with 11 to 14 being the optimal range. The data also shows that top-performing salespeople tend to scatter questions throughout the sales call, which makes it feel more like a conversation than an interrogation.

Just as important, top salespeople listen more and speak less than their counterparts overall. Taken together, the data from Gong. If the goal is to build relationships, the opposite approach—opening with less sensitive questions and escalating slowly—seems to be most effective.

Gain a better idea of how much the organisation values teamwork and collaboration, as well as potentially determining for how many more interviews in the recruitment process to come. Aoife Brady says candidates should always ask at least two or three questions. So choose your questions wisely!

Here are 20 of the best ones to ask at the end of the interview for your next ethical job: 1. What do you personally like most about working for this organisation? What do you find most challenging about working for this organisation? As above, but even more revealing! Can you tell me about the kind of supervision you provide?

What have past employees done to succeed in this position? Here are a few places to start:. This is true for both coaching them on an area they could improve, and getting feedback from them. This avoids the defensiveness and resistance that can come from public feedback. If you want to help them improve, the best place to start is with feedback for them. Here are some questions to start that discussion:.

Research shows most people would like feedback more often:. Asking questions like the ones above help you understand where they may be most receptive and interested in your feedback and coaching.

Of course, if they have other places you feel they need to improve you should share that with them as well. Feedback is a two-way street. Again, the right one on one meeting questions can open up valuable insights for you to learn from:. When you get this feedback from your team member, be as open as you can. Ask clarifying questions about recent examples, or the reasoning why they chose that.

Having trouble getting feedback from your team? You can get some ideas for getting more feedback here. The beauty of one on ones is their flexibility. You suddenly have this block of time on your calendar to talk about anything with your team member.

Remember: Everyone in your company has a different vantage point. Want to document all of these questions in one place? Download our free meeting template now. They may have a specific answer to one of these questions, or suddenly realizing this is a safe subject, bring up something else on their own. Disengagement and turnover follow at that point. Fortunately, simply the act of talking about them and finding even the smallest thing you can do to address it can go a very long way to making them feel better.

This is another way to apply the Progress Principle we discussed earlier. The best companies have all their employees thinking about improving the company. As we mentioned above regarding Building Rapport, great managers care about their people. As Jason Lemkin writes , you have to ask to know for sure. This is especially important if your team member is introverted. Again, this is where privacy matters. By using these one on one meeting questions, you avoid putting anyone publicly on the spot.

Your goal is to uncover issues, and work together to address them, or suggest where they can like a real therapist, if needed. Knowledge is power. Once you know about a situation or issue affecting your team member, you can address it. They might just have a good reason why they need to leave early some night, or come in late in the morning.