A good question is worth a thousand answers
Communication and questioning skills could be the most important tools we have to keep us moving forward. Yet, we seem to invest little focused time in building these skills, not just as a once off, but on a regular basis.
Our work with countless teams, at all levels in organisations big and small, led us to this fundamental principle – to get great results you need to build beautiful questioning and communication skills. It is without a doubt the bedrock for all that follows, and, often the reason that sophisticated solutions do not have the impact we invested in. There are very few, if any teams who couldn’t use some improvement in the way they interact.
The quality of our questions determines the quality of our lives. Questions can help us become a better leaders, clearer thinkers and more effective communicators. Great questions unlock innovative thinking and problem-solving. They inspire breakthroughs because they transform the way teams can approach challenges and collaboration. To find the right answers, we must ask the right questions!
This is why we decided to make it simple, effortless, and fun to raise awareness of and develop the building blocks that can elevate every single work interaction. It’s a practical, repeatable series of immersive methods that build communication and questioning skills. Over the course of around 5 years we have prototyped and tested two techniques, Bricks of Innovation and Six Bricks for Building Climates of Inquiry. They are simple to apply, and quick, which means you can apply them in any team or group setting, requiring only a set of six Lego Duplo bricks per team member. And, for the first 1/2 sessions, someone who knows how to run the series!
Even when we think we have all the answers, we still need to keep asking questions – they help us to chart new paths where the future is not certain, but holds much possibility.
What is the basic process of a Bricks of Innovation or Six Bricks for Inquiry session?
- Pair up and start talking to each other from the get-go: no phones, pc’s, or other distractions.
- Explain a series of challenges to your partner.
- Change places to experience the listener and communicator roles.
- Reflect upon and discuss what works and what’s less useful.
- Capture actions to experiment with in your next interactions.
Run in anything from an hour to a full workshop, this hands-on approach fosters innovation by allowing people to get real-time feedback on their communication and questioning styles, and become more aware of their shortcuts and assumptions. Sessions can be tailored for your next event or team needs. The methods have been tested with small teams and large groups, in ice-breaker format right up to deep dives into the building blocks of innovative cultures through ‘beautiful questions’.
- Practical, enjoyable, accessible and easy to learn.
- You can continue to apply them at work across multiple settings.
- Immediate, unvarnished feedback, in a relaxed and humour filled space.
- Real-time feedback from peers is invaluable and not often or easily offered in the limited time we spend together.
100% engagement is very rare these days! Attention really has become our most precious commodity.
Build the skills that value attention – like questioning and communication – they are the building blocks for the future.