Page 123 - Boettcher.indb

TURNING TTI SUCCESS INSIGHTS’ ASSESSMENTS INTO . . .

Inability to listen may stem from an undervaluing of the other
person. This disregard can lead to miscommunication, where essen-
tial needs are missed because one is not stepping back to truly hear

what is being conveyed.

Listening and Asking Questions Enable Dialogue
When you dominate a conversation, you miss the opportunity to
learn from others. Conversely, by asking questions, you can gather

valuable insights about the person you’re speaking with. A well-
structured conversation with carefully planned questions not only
increases the other person’s speaking time but also reveals important
information about their motivations.

Here are some key types of questions relevant to this context:

• Closed questions: These start with a verb and usually have
brief “yes” or “no” answers, helping to guide the conversa-
tion in a specific direction.

• Open questions: Unlike closed questions that deal with
facts, open questions invite opinions and are more likely
to elicit information about the other person’s views, atti-
tudes, and motives. They often begin with “Who,” “What,”
“How,” “Why,” “Where,” or “When,” and push the conver-
sation forward. For instance, you might ask, “What do you

think about the return on current assets?” or “How do you
perceive the cost savings?”
• Evaluation questions: Here, you’re inviting the person to
provide a detailed assessment, like “How do you evaluate

the benefits of . . . for yourself?”
• What-if questions: These hypotheticals help develop the
conversation further by presenting a fictitious scenario, for

121