E-Communications in the Workplace: Ask the Right Questions the Right Way

When you need information, you ask questions. When you use emails, social media, surveys and other electronic media to gather information from employees, customers, colleagues and vendors, you have very little time to ask the right questions before frustration or boredom takes over and the other party loses interest.
The following rules for asking questions will bring you clear, usable information quickly:

• Know what you want from the question. What prompted you to ask it? What type of response are you hoping for?
• Make sure you've actually asked a question. Look for the question mark. A statement ("The data for 2008 appears to be missing") is not a question, and the other person has no obligation to reply.
• Don't frame your questions as arguments. When you ask "Why in the world would you do that?," you're inviting conflict, not data.
• If your explanation of the question is longer than the question, rethink the question. See the next rule.
• Break down a complicated question into yes/no or multiple choice options. Open ended questions ("How can we serve you better?") generate essay answers that may ramble away from your goal. Most people enjoy answering the occasional open ended question but after that they appreciate the efficiency of a yes/no or multiple choice. Plus you'll get more consistent information faster.
• Number multiple questions and set each on its own line. A paragraph of questions is daunting. A list is doable. Numbered questions are also easy to identify if one is missed or misunderstood.
• Be specific. If you're asking about a particular piece of equipment, use the formal name of the equipment or the exact part number. If you need a response in two weeks, state the deadline; don't waffle with "as soon as possible."
• Avoid negative questions. When a negative appears in a question, you're more likely to receive ambiguous answers. Is that not so?
• Know when to pick up the phone. After you email a question twice without success, it's time to talk.

Questions enable you to find out how other people view your company; whether they understand your products and services; and whether opportunities exist in the marketplace that you haven't yet mined. Questions enable you to serve your customers and employees better, to meet their expectations and needs. Questions allow you to work more productively with colleagues.
By following the rules above, you'll enter into a dialog that generates useful information with the least effort and the most good will on both sides.