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Asking Questions Is a Powerful – and Constructive – Form of Communication

August 22nd, 2013   |   by fbadmin

8-surveyAbout a month ago, I e-mailed our employees and asked them to participate in a company survey. It wasn’t a perfectly formed survey, but these were questions that I constantly ask myself. I wanted the team to think about, and ask, the same questions I ask myself.

Some of this was to gauge how aligned we are in that thinking; and some of it was for me to understand where we aren’t aligned, and how to communicate or explain why we may be making decisions, or why we’re not.

As you may know, I’m very data-driven; and the survey provided a statistical way to measure things. But I like to balance the numbers with the qualitative side of things, so I was also interested in the open-ended answers that people provided.

I’ve learned that sometimes asking a question can be more powerful in communicating an answer than communicating a statement. My wife, who studied journalism, is really good at asking questions, so I’ve learned that from her.

Next, I want to show the team that we’re taking action on the results of the survey. I need to show that the information people provided was valuable and will be put to good use.

Stay tuned.