Living from 470 B.C. to 399 B.C., Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as a founder of Western philosophy.
Although there are lots of things we can learn from Socrates’ writings in areas of ethics, morality, authority, government, leadership and life, his focus on the art of questioning is an area I find intriguing, beneficial and clearly actionable for us all. The “Socratic Method” of questioning takes its shape in dialogue using short questions, all designed to move the individual being questioned into agreeing with an idea or point of view.
As a former youth travel team baseball coach, I discovered Socrates’ technique in asking questions and decided to bring it to the baseball field and test his hypothesis.
In baseball or softball, when a runner is on first base and there are fewer than two outs, infielders are instructed to field the ball and throw it to second base so they can stop the “lead runner.” If you watch enough youth
baseball or softball, you will invariably see a ground ball hit to an infielder and that player will incorrectly throw the ball to first base. Sure, they might get the batter out at first, but they made the wrong play by not trying to stop the “lead runner” at second.
Typically, when this happens, a coach will tell (or yell) at the infielder and criticize the player for making the wrong play. Kids will either cower and cringe with the criticism, or shake their head agreeing, or in some cases, not listen to the coach at all. Nonetheless, whether the player learned from the mistake… or learned from the coach’s comments… is the important thing.
And so, as a reader of Socrates (I like to think “disciple”), I decided to try the philosopher’s technique on the little league baseball field. With no outs and a runner on first, the batter hit a ground ball to my shortstop, Clate. Clate fielded the ball perfectly and without hesitation, fired it to first base. “Out!” the umpired cried. “Wrong!” I said to myself quietly.
In the true spirit of Socrates, I questioned my young player with the following, “Great work, Clate, but if you had the chance to do that play again, what would you do next time?” Without missing a beat, he said, “I’d throw the ball to second base and get the lead runner out, Coach B (me).”
It worked! Socrates became my assistant coach, and whether I was coaching baseball, basketball or even today as a college lacrosse coach, his presence (and coaching present) is part of my repertoire.
As opposed to lecturing or badgering your children, questioning can be a great parental tool (i.e. “Jeffrey, do you think you can ever go to college if you don’t study hard in high school and get good grades?” OR, “Brittany, why do you think just because other kids can stay out after midnight that you should?” OR, “Camden, do you really think what you did to your brother is the right way to act… really?”).
Great sales professionals who master the art of questioning are typically successful. For example, if I were a salesperson trying to get an order and was repeatedly unsuccessful with a prospect, I could ask “Mr. Jones, can you share with me what company you buy from that you view as your best supplier… and why?” If the sales target said, “My best supplier is the X,Y,Z Company. They truly understand my business and only sell me things I need… not just things they wanted to sell me. They are always prompt for meetings, continuously send me data and information that is helpful for my business and they respond to my calls instantly.” Well, through Socratic selling, the answers received from my question would have provided me all the things I needed to do so that I, too, one day, could become one of this customer’s “best suppliers.”
Rather than debate an issue, question your way to agreement or a better understanding. It’s a tool and technique you’ll find highly beneficial. First, and foremost, asking good questions is the best possible way for you to learn something. It’s also a great device for relationship-building. Whenever you ask a person a question about their life, their experiences, their opinions, etc., they will invariably feel positively about you because your question showed them you were interested in them. Questioning is also a great strategy for avoiding misunderstandings. It can bring clarity and make sure you don’t jump to conclusions. Used strategically, questions can also be used to diffuse a volatile situation and certainly has value in persuasion.
Following are a few important questions Socrates suggested we all become masterful at delivering.
- Yes or No Questions. (“Do you like ice cream?”)
- Choice Oriented Questions. (“Which do you prefer, ice cream or frozen yogurt?”)
- Deeper Thinking Questions (“Which is better for you, ice cream or frozen yogurt?”)
- Funnel Questions (These are questions that lead to additional questions. Example? After one answers the question “Which is better for you, ice cream or frozen yogurt?” then funnel the next question with “Why is frozen yogurt better for you?”)
- Clarification Questions (“I don’t understand. Can you explain?”)
In closing, in the true spirit of Socrates, “What did you learn from reading this column?” Let me know. Reach out at Ira@Iraspeak.com.
Highly respected management guru, Peter Drucker, wrote, “The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.”
Legendary thought leader, Albert Einstein said, “Only the one who does not question is safe from making a mistake.”
Ira Blumenthal is a business consultant, a Georgia resident, a best-selling author, a globally renowned public speaker, a university educator and a college Lacrosse coach. Ira welcomes inquiries and can be reached at Ira@Iraspeak.com. His web site is www.IraSpeak.com
