From Clarity to Productivity: The Impact of Effective Questioning

Clarity is a significant step towards becoming productive.

The clearer you are about your time management, energy levels, organisational skills, attention span, and positive psychological triggers, the more efficient you become.

This efficiency comes from understanding how to effectively combine your strengths in these productivity pillars to get more things done with less effort.

“How best can you gain clarity? Guess !!!”

By asking the right questions.

Questions are likened to well-planted seeds that yield the right fruits (the answers you need).

Therefore, mastering the art of questioning is a crucial skill everyone should possess to enhance productivity.

The simple formula is:

Asking the right questions = Gaining clarity = Enhancing productivity

Unfortunately, some people do not have this skill. They struggle to get the right answers from themselves and others.

This struggle is also visible when people try to use conversational tools like AI chatbots and generative AI applications.

Sometimes, these valuable tools even produce incorrect answers, a phenomenon known as 'hallucination', due to the way questions are asked. This challenge has led to the rising prominence of "Prompt Engineering". This concept aims to guide individuals on how to effectively communicate with AI tools by structuring their questions in a constructive and comprehensible manner, leading to improved interactions with these AI bots.

The truth is, we need to learn the art of questioning or prompting not only for AI bots but also to extract the best from ourselves and others. This skill will help us:

• Understand our tasks better.

• Prioritise effectively.

• Decide on the best approach for our tasks.

• Learn from our experiences and from others.

Accomplishing these quickly and efficiently equates to enhanced productivity.

Here are some tips to improve your art of questioning:

1. Ask Open Questions: These encourage detailed responses and deeper conversations. They are best used during ideation or brainstorming sessions.

   Begin with words like “how,” “what,” “when,” “why,” or “describe.” For instance:

   • “What are my most important tasks for the day?”

   • “How do you I organise my professional and personal activities?”

2. Use Closed Questions: When seeking a straightforward answer (usually yes or no), opt for closed questions. These are helpful for quick information gathering and decision making:

   • “Did I meet my objective for today?”

   • “Can I finish this task in 2 minutes?”

3. Consider Your Audience: Tailor your questions based on who you’re interacting with—whether it’s supervisors, coworkers, or online audience. Adjust your tone and complexity accordingly.

4. Be Specific: Avoid vague questions. Instead, focus on precise details. For example:

   • Instead of “Tell me about your project,” ask, “What are the key milestones in your project timeline?”

5. Listen Actively: Pay attention to the answers you receive. Active listening helps you follow up with relevant questions and engage in meaningful discussions.

Remember, effective questioning improves communication, critical thinking, and relationship-building in various contexts.

Good questions leads to clarity which results in improved productivity.