The art of asking questions in a world full of answers

Below, Lani Watson shares five key insights from her new book, Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers. Watson is a philosopher and Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She is a world-leading expert in the philosophy of questions, having researched the topic for nearly two decades. Businesses and organizations around the world have sought her help in learning how to ask great questions. What’s the Big Idea? We’re living through uncertain, unsettling times, and every instinct pulls us toward quick, comforting answers. But certainty, chased too hard, makes us rigid and closed. Uncertainty isn’t a problem to be eliminated; it’s the texture of a rich, complicated, unpredictable life. Questioning is what lets us meet it, not with anxiety, but with openness, curiosity, and a little humility. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Watson herself—in the Next Big Idea app, or buy the book. 1. Questions direct our attention. I’ll start by asking you a question: Where are you? Take a moment with this. It’s a very simple question, but notice that before you even answer, it has already had an effect. Perhaps you glanced unconsciously at your sur…