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8 Ways to Improve a Question

How do you improve a question? I came up with these eight ways to take an existing question and make it better.

Google and “beautiful questions”

“You should sue Google!” That half-joking suggestion was from a friend who’d seen a new TV ad for Google—a 1-minute ode to the power of a question.

Tips for asking better questions

8 characteristics that separate good questioners from the rest.

My bookshelf

Recommended creativity and innovation books, with a special emphasis on questioning. Designed to inspire and enlighten.

How can questioning help us learn and understand difficult concepts?

“How Can They Charge That? (And Other Questions).” Economics professor Robert H. Franks finds that questioning is a key tool in learning that sticks.

Guest post by Daisy Azer: “As I was reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, I was struck by the number of times the idea of questioning came up. Isn’t it funny how that happens in life? You start thinking about something and it pops up all over the place doesn’t it? But then again, it could just be that questioning is absolutely fundamental to better outcomes….”

Daniel Pink: “A veritable gold mine” of questions

“The Book of Beautiful Questions is a veritable gold mine. In its pages, you will find fresh (and often brilliant) ways to use the power of the interrogative to sharpen your decision-making, boost your creativity, and deepen your connections to others. Berger’s insights are so potent and his advice so practical that only one question remains: What’s stopping you from picking up this extraordinary book?”

—Daniel Pink, New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind
Adam Grant: “Full of instantly useful answers”

“Why don’t we ask enough questions? Why do we ask so many bad questions? And how can we ask the kinds of great questions that make us better at leading, deciding, connecting and creating? The Book of Beautiful Questions isn’t just a thought-provoking book on questions—it’s also full of instantly useful answers.”

—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg
Lisa Bodell: “A must-have skill for success”

“In The Book of Beautiful Questions Warren Berger shows us the incredible power that inquiry has to approach problems differently and to unearth powerful, innovative solutions. In an increasingly complicated world, knowing how to ask provocative questions is a must-have skill for success.”

—Lisa Bodell,
bestselling author of Why Simple Wins, and CEO of FutureThink
Greg McKeown: “The difference between a busy life and a life that really matters”

“Use Warren Berger and his latest book as a guide for asking not only more beautiful questions but also more important ones. It may well make the difference between a busy life and a life that really matters.”

—Greg McKeown, New York Times bestselling author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Frank Sesno: “Warren Berger raises questioning to an art form”

“Warren Berger raises questioning to an art form. The Book of Beautiful Questions is a vital read for anyone who wants to excel at creativity, leadership, decision-making and interpersonal skills. Berger offers a symphony of questions that will inspire you to become your own maestro of inquiry.”

—Frank Sesno, former CNN anchor and author ofAsk More
Marshall Goldsmith: “Be a better thinker, partner, problem-solver, and leader”

“Being an effective leader is not so much about having all the answers as asking the right questions. In The Book of Beautiful Questions, Warren Berger shows why questioning is critical to success—and provides hundreds of questions that can help you be a better thinker, partner, problem-solver, and leader.”

—Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author of Triggers and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Dorie Clark: “A transformational resource you’ll go back to again and again”

“The Book of Beautiful Questions gives us the power to re-imagine our lives. For those who seek to make better decisions and lead more effectively, it’s a transformational resource you’ll go back to again and again.”

—Dorie Clark, author of Entrepreneurial You and Stand Out
A.J. Jacobs: “Question every aspect”

“In this wise book, Warren Berger shows us how crucial it is to question every aspect of our lives, from business to school to our choice of toothpaste. My question: Why wouldn’t you read this book?”

—A.J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author and Esquire columnist
Eric Ries: “Figuring out how to ask”

“In the old economy, it was all about having the answers. But in today’s dynamic, lean economy, it’s more about asking the right questions. A More Beautiful Question is about figuring out how to ask, and answer, the questions that can lead to new opportunities and growth.”

—Eric Ries, New York Times best-selling author of The Lean Startup
Guy Kawasaki: “Real men ask questions”

“The genesis of many great startups is the simple question, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…?’ Berger helps you understand the power of questions to change the world. Real men ask questions, they don’t spout out answers.”

—Guy Kawasaki, author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, and former chief evangelist at Apple

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  The 36 questions used in Arthur Aron’s experiment are wonderful examples of open-ended, deep questions. A discussion of the power of good questions to form lasting connections—even between strangers.
- Questolutions: The Power of Questions to Get Things Done
  Why do questions motivate us more than resolutions?
- Visualizing questioning
  A new art form is flourishing—the art of visualizing talks. See how some skillful visual notetakers have made art out of my beautiful questions presentations.
- Is “critical thinking” in critical condition? How questions can help.
  Want to be a better critical thinker? Questions can be a powerful way to spot false narratives and “weaponized lies.” Read more about it in this article I wrote for The Atlantic’s Quartz.com.
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  The following eight questions—shared by a noteworthy lineup of entrepreneurs, innovators, consultants, and creative thinkers—can help you figure out where your heart lies and what you really ought to be doing.
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  A Spotify list of more than 50 songs that have to do with questioning—and that I actually like.
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  The Right Question Institute has found that it is indeed possible to teach kids to be better questio...
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  […] Einstein and questioning […]
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  Do you know the way to San Jose?
- Warren Berger
  A great question song from The Three Degrees in 1973! [...]
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  When will I see you again

Latest on the blog...

36 Questions

The 36 questions used in Arthur Aron’s experiment are wonderful examples of open-ended, deep questions. A discussion of the power of good questions to form lasting connections—even between strangers.

Visualizing questioning

A new art form is flourishing—the art of visualizing talks. See how some skillful visual notetakers have made art out of my beautiful questions presentations.

Is “critical thinking” in critical condition? How questions can help.

Want to be a better critical thinker? Questions can be a powerful way to spot false narratives and “weaponized lies.” Read more about it in this article I wrote for The Atlantic’s Quartz.com.

Find Your Passion with These 8 Thought-Provoking Questions

The following eight questions—shared by a noteworthy lineup of entrepreneurs, innovators, consultants, and creative thinkers—can help you figure out where your heart lies and what you really ought to be doing.

The inquiring mind of Reggie Watts: A Top 12 list of his questions

I don’t know if they qualify as “beautiful questions” but there’s something oddly fascinating about the imaginative questions that band leader Reggie Watts asks the guests of James Corden’s The Late Late Show.

Coaching and the art of asking beautiful questions

At the 2016 Capital Coaches Conference I’ll be discussing my belief that coaches, who already know the power of great questions, should teach their clients how to become beautiful questioners themselves.

“The best coaching question in the world” from Michael Bungay Stanier

In The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier, Michael shares 7 powerful questions that can make someone a better leader or manager.