We’ve heard it all the time – you have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak.However, it’s not just waiting to speak 50% of the time that is important; it’s what you do with that time that is essential to getting the information you need. Let’s chat about the fundamentals of having a conversation.Some say having a conversation is a lost art, and they may be right. A true conversation is an exchange of ideas and information and an opportunity to learn, yet often times it becomes a one-sided barrage of statements and judgments. When was the last time you sat in a meeting and had everyone make a comment that was completely irrelevant but wanted to have their voice heard?The most effective and important element of any conversation is the question. No matter the situation: a sales meeting; an employee annual review; a team project meeting; getting your kids to clean their room; asking the right questions will yield amazing results. And, fortunately for us, there are really smart people out in this world that have studied the effectiveness of questions. Yes – smart people have studied actual questions and have provided a framework on how to make a conversation the most productive it can be.This framework is best known as the ORID framework. It’s a listing out of questions in a particular manner to most effectively get the information you need. To set up a successful conversation, there are four types of questions you need to ask: Objective, Reflective, Interpretive and Decisional.
