Nov 14, 2023
In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, you'll hear an insightful interview with Warren Berger, an expert in the power of questioning. Warren's exploration of design thinking led him to delve into the origins of breakthrough innovations, startups, and the role of questioning in driving them. His books, A More Beautiful Question and The Book of Beautiful Questions, provide frameworks and examples for using questioning effectively in different domains of life.
Warren emphasizes the importance of questioning in education, business, relationships, and leadership. He highlights the transformative power of asking beautiful questions, which can lead to continuous learning, innovation, and deeper connections with others. By embracing questioning, individuals and organizations can unlock their full potential and lead a path of growth and discovery.
In this episode:
00:00:00 - Introduction,
Introduction to the podcast episode and the guest, Warren Berger,
who is an expert in questioning and author of the book A More
Beautiful Question.
00:01:23 - Importance of Questioning,
Warren discusses the importance of questioning and how it is a
powerful tool for problem-solving and decision-making. He
emphasizes that questioning should be recognized as a field of
study and incorporated into education and business training.
00:04:29 - Questioning and Design Thinking,
Warren explains his background in writing about design thinking and
how it led him to explore the role of questioning in
problem-solving. He highlights that designers and successful
business leaders are often skilled questioners.
00:07:06 - Researching Questions,
Warren shares his research approach, which involves studying how
different fields and professionals use questioning. He mentions
sources such as Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today, and
notes that there are few books dedicated solely to questioning.
00:10:47 - The Challenge of Writing about Questions,
Warren discusses the challenge of expanding the topic of
questioning from a chapter in a book to multiple books. He
emphasizes the limitless depth and breadth of the subject and his
commitment to exploring it fully.
00:15:26 - The Power of Questioning,
Warren discusses how questioning leads to breakthroughs and
innovation, emphasizing that many innovations start with a simple
question. He introduces his first book, which explores the general
concept of questioning with a focus on innovation.
00:16:16 - Questioning in Different Areas,
Warren explains that people approach questioning from different
angles depending on their interests. He highlights the
relationships between questioning and creativity, decision-making,
relationships with others, and leadership. Businesses are
recognizing the importance of leaders who can ask insightful
questions.
00:17:31 - The Book of Beautiful Questions,
Warren's second book delves into four key areas where questioning
is relevant: creativity, leadership, relationships, and
decision-making. He offers examples of useful questions in each
area and encourages readers to come up with their own.
00:18:31 - Questioning in Education,
Warren's third book, targeted at educators, focuses on how to
encourage students to ask more questions. He emphasizes the
importance of engaging students' curiosity and creating a classroom
environment where questioning is encouraged.
00:21:02 - Modeling Questioning Behavior,
Warner discusses the importance of modeling questioning behavior,
both for teachers and parents. He explains that demonstrating a
balance of confidence and humility as a questioner can inspire
others and create a more approachable leadership style.
Intellectual curiosity is a valuable trait for both leaders and
learners.
00:30:45 - The Three Types of Questions,
The three types of questions are why, what if, and how. These
questions work together in a cycle to push you forward and prevent
you from getting stuck. Each question serves a different purpose in
the problem-solving process.
00:31:19 - The Importance of the Why Question,
The why question helps you understand the problem and its
importance. However, it's important not to get trapped in the
philosophical stage of constantly asking why. The why question is
the first step in the process.
00:31:50 - Moving to the What If Stage,
After asking why and gaining an understanding of the problem, it's
time to start asking what if. This stage is for brainstorming and
speculating on possible solutions. However, it's important not to
get stuck in this stage and move on to the next.
00:32:28 - The How Question,
The “how” question is about implementation and practicality. It's
about figuring out how to solve the problem and get started. This
question should be the last step in the process, after
understanding the problem and exploring possible solutions.
00:35:30 - The Importance of Spending Time on Each Stage,
It's important not to rush through any of the stages. Spending time
on each stage ensures that you have a deep understanding of the
problem, explore different possibilities, and then figure out how
to implement the solution. Don't shortchange any of the stages.
00:44:52 - The Power of Beautiful Questions,
Warren discusses the importance of formulating a powerful question
that can drive motivation and purpose. He encourages individuals
and companies to focus on mission questions rather than mission
statements, as questions are ongoing and open-ended.
00:46:14 - Finding Your Beautiful Question,
Warren encourages listeners to find their own beautiful question, a
question that they can continuously pursue and work on throughout
their lives. He also suggests that businesses should have mission
questions that drive their purpose and motivate their
employees.
00:47:18 - Conclusion,
Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you
while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come
share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as
@thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.
Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.
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