Monday, May 19, 2008

Asking Questions

Improve Your Tomorrows By Asking One Question Today

If you are a parent of school-aged children (or have ever been a school-aged child), I would bet you have asked or heard this question every single day: "What did you learn in school today?" And when those same children roll their eyes or say “oh Mom!” those same parents persist; asking a follow up question like, "You know you learned something - you were there all day, c'mon, what did you learn?"

After some prying and cajoling, the children answer with some morsel or lesson learned during the day. The kids are relieved, and the parents are happy. This scene plays out in cars and homes all over the world, and yet this question that seems so obvious to parents seems to escape our thoughts for ourselves.

The modified question you could ask yourself every day is: "What did I learn today?"

Why This Question Works

Parents ask school children about what they learned at school because they expect them to learn at school. But somehow after graduation, people stop thinking about learning as their daily task. And yet, human beings are learning beings. Our bodies and brains are constantly learning.

If you are constantly learning you might wonder why you need to ask this question at all (and that is a good question itself!).

While you are constantly learning, the things you are learning are subconscious and therefore not necessarily accessible to your conscious mind. Also, the things you are learning by just going through your day may not be the things you most want to learn. So, by asking the question, you are making your learning more conscious and intentional.

As you ask it more frequently, you will begin to see your daily experiences as learning opportunities and those things you most want to learn and improve will become clearer.

How This Question Works

As you begin to think of life as your own personal learning laboratory, you can expect ideas, lessons and discoveries each day. The question plays to that expectancy.

What did I learn today?

When you ask yourself this question, you are expecting that there is learning to recall! When you create the habit of asking, you begin to create a habit of looking for the things you are learning. And, as you expectantly look, you will most certainly find lessons and learnings.

Where This Question Works
This question works in every part of your life!
Consider asking the question to help you learn:
In your personal life
In your professional life
As a team member
As a leader
In pursuit of a specific goal

Based on your needs you may choose to ask the generic question about your entire day, to focus on one of these areas specifically (i.e. what did I learn today to make me a better parent, or what did I learn today to make me a better salesperson), or to ask the question multiple times, once for each important role or learning goal that you have.

© 2008 The Kevin Eikenberry Group – All Rights Reserved (with permission)
The Kevin Eikenberry Grouphttp://www.kevineikenberry.com7035 Bluffridge WayIndianapolis, IN 46278

Now, how does this relate to public speaking? Every time you hear someone speak, you pick up tips on what to do or what not to do, you may hear one line from a speech or from a discussion at a meeting that can set you off in a new direction for a speech.

I keep a mini tape recorder with me in my car so that I can remember what I learned, and sometimes I even begin a new speech on my drive home from a meeting. When you are open to learning, your mind will pick up on new ideas and also on ideas that relate to something else that you know or that you have thought about.

Fran