“Questions have the power to change lives.  They can jump-start creativity, change our perspective, empower us to believe in ourselves, push us to think things through or call us to action.”  Tony Stoltzfus

Would you rather talk to an “asker” or a “teller?”  Why?  Which are you?

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  (Luke 2:46; NIV)

Did you know that there are 2,272 questions in the King James version of the Old Testament?  And 1,022 in the New Testament, according to Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible.  (If you’re interested, all 3,200 plus questions are catalogued and listed in Dake’s study notes.)  Obviously, questions as a vehicle of teaching have been around for some time.

Karen Lee-Thorpe gives some rationale in her book, How to Ask Great Questions, as she writes, ” Research tells us that people remember far more of what they say than what they hear, and far more of what they discover for themselves than what they are spoon-fed.  Hence, a question that sparks discovery and gets people to say out loud what they know is an essential tool in teaching.”

Well-known leadership and planning consultant, Bob Biehl agrees: “As you master the art of asking profound questions, you will be able to unlock information, insight, and wisdom within a friend in any situation.  You will be able to open doors to inner motivation and dreams which no one has ever been able to unlock.  You will be able to solve problems, analyze risks, and take leadership you have never before dreamed possible.”

Yet, have you noticed that in spite of all these accolades regarding the power of questions, we live in a culture of “tellers” rather than “askers?”  How many conversations have you had where the entire conversation with your friend(?) was about them with no opportunity to share a even a tidbit about you?  People seem to think that the way to be a good conversationalist is to talk about themselves.  Something is very wrong with this picture.

Our good friend and coaching mentor, Tony Stoltzfus, has just written another fantastic book.  Tony is a prolific author and coach extraordinaire.  He has spent the last several years of his life writing and producing a wide range of awesome resources for coaches.  (For a little more background on Tony, see my 12/5/07 DG.)  As you can probably surmise by the (lengthy) preface to all this, Tony’s book is all about questions.  His newest is entitled, Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills.

Now if you’re not a coach, you’re probably wondering “why should I care?”  Simply because, as with a several of Tony’s other resources, non-coaches would do well to learn some of the principles Tony so eloquently writes about.  Just think, how much better would this world be if more people would learn to ask questions and focus on the other person for a portion of the conversation?  So really, if you engage in conversation with other people, you would profit a great deal just by reading through Tony’s latest book and harvesting a few of his many tips and suggestions.

If you are a coach, either well-seasoned or just getting started, you’ll find the material in Coaching Questions to be a very helpful resource.  Asking powerful questions is a skill that will always bring life to a conversation.  Click on the Link of the Day and order your copy right away.

Oh, and I almost forgot, Tony solicited input on this project from several other professional coaches.  Sharon and I were privileged to be among that group.  So you’ll find a little bit of us in the book as well.

Prayer Power
Lord, Sharon and I thank You for the blessing of a great friendship with Tony and for the impact he has made on our lives.  We thank You for the wisdom you have placed within him and for the talent to communicate that wisdom so eloquently to “the rest of us.”

Link of the Day
Coaching Questions

Blessings on you as you purpose to hone your asking skills in the coming weeks.