The other day I ran across a question that made me pause.
If you were to start a podcast, who would be the first person you’d want to invite?
Two names popped into my mind – Charles Barkley and Adam Grant. Maybe not a pair of names you’d expect to go together but I’ve always enjoyed the uniqueness each one brings. There’s such authenticity in how they deliver their insights. As I reflected on the two names I was debating, I realized my focus and passion was around finding someone with an authentic voice I could learn and pick up clues for myself to connect with.
One of the reasons I loved this question was how it prompted brainstorming on what questions I would potentially ask these two guests. I started to analyze how I would ask the intriguing questions to help generate a great conversation of insights and perspective. Now while starting a podcast may not be something of priority for many of us, this question did help with perspective around the importance of being prepared to ask good questions. We have interactions with a variety of people throughout the day but sometimes I question whether we’re coming with an intent of learning and engaging or if we’re too focused on getting our views and opinions across. At time, we miss opportunities to create great dialogue because we’re focusing on getting our message across as opposed to asking engaging questions.
The art of conversation can get really complicated but I think the most important attribute we can bring to a conversation is a learner mindset. This learner mindset approaches conversations with an open mind to uncover different perspectives. We all have unique experiences that create a personalized lens to how we see the world. Engaging with someone by creating great dialogue through inquisitive questions can be a recipe for truly understanding someone else, learning from their perspective, along with an opportunity to build trust and rapport.
A learner mindset doesn’t come into a conversation if we’re anchored to any one solution or belief. While we may have clarity on our perspective based on our experiences, it doesn’t mean it’s a finality. Conversations with engaging questions bring out the opportunity to explore something new. The world’s pace of change is intense and our openness to not be anchored to having an answer but instead, explore the fact there could be other perspectives can bring about incredible dialogue.
The most effective journey to uncovering new insights and perspective is through questions. Inquisitive questions that bring out stimulating dialogue. We don’t have to be podcast celebrities to create great dialogue through inquisitive questions. We have opportunities all throughout the day for engaging conversation and when we bring a learner mindset to the discussion, the questions will flow to uncover different perspectives to help us gain more of a holistic view.
Take your step: A good test of your learner mindset is when you come into an opportunity to have a conversation, how are you engaging with the other person? Each day we have an unlimited number of opportunities to learn from the experiences and perspectives of others. How we engage in the conversation can be the difference between learning from someone else’s life experiences and missing perspective that could provide more of a holistic view in our mind. Reflect on how you approach conversations at work, with family, with the community and analyze whether you’re bringing a learner mindset to the experience. Start exploring conversations with more inquisitive questions to help provide an opportunity to learn more about the other person’s perspective.