b'THE HR HANDBOOKReframing Questions for Better Results HOW WE ASKquestions matters.or insecure situations. Removing this word is a great As leaders, we gather information by asking ques- place to start on the journey for reframing. tions. How we ask questions changes the kind ofYou cannot just change the words. You must mean information we receive. We can also motivate our teamit. Ask yourself:through questions. How we ask those questions deter- Are you internally curious or do you want to mines what kind of motivation and how motivatedexpress skepticism? people are likely to become. What is your intention with the question? How do these kinds of questions make you feel?What outcome do you really want? Why didnt you meet your production goal?Do you want to know the problems, or do youWhy are you late? want to know the solutions? JONATHAN SHAVER Why are you having trouble finding new hires? Make sure the question honestly matches your is the president and Why are we making these changes? mindset and what you want to know. Explaining the owner of EnvisionCompare those feelings to how these questionsintention of your question often helps set the direction, Partners LLC.make you feel: but not as well as asking a different question.What factors kept you from reaching your pro-duction goal?What would it take to be on time next time?How have you approached your hiring process? Can you tell me about the purpose of these changes? A question causes an emotional response in These are the same questions but asked in a differ-ent frame and bringing about very different responses.the receiver and that emotion sets the direction Dr. David Cooperrider, the creator of Appreciativefor and guides the scope and tone of their Inquiry said, The moment we ask a question, we begin to create change. In other words, a question causes anresponse.emotional response in the receiver and that emotion sets the direction for and guides the scope and tone of their response. Questions set up for either a depre-ciative that can spiral downward, or an appreciative conversation that can spiral upward.What is going on? Do the questions you ask cause doubt? Do theyOf course, tone matters too. However, tone applies encourage exploration? Do they motivate others to beeffectively only in face-to-face interactions. In remote honest and vulnerable? Are your questions perceivedand written work, tone is often not an available option as investigative or as curious? Will you get the bareto support the intention of the question. Unfortunately, minimum information, or will you get a full story withthe readers assumptions about the writers tone your questions?can really undercut a seemingly positive intention. Therefore, we must be straightforward and clear with Why would you do that?our questions to get the answer we want. This is a I find that why happens to be a particularly difficultgood practice in writing and in person.word to use in questions. While this word has greatAppreciative inquiry is a useful word study. Inquiry intentions to get to the backstory and to understandmeans to ask and explore. Appreciative means to intentions, it is most often interpreted as a skepti- respect, to acknowledge, and to increase. Do your cal and doubtful word. This is especially true in tensequestions do that?SW14/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2023'