Field guide · Questions
Questions that open up
Breadth, precision, and direction — without turning conversation into interrogation. A spacious question works only after preparation has made it earned. The economy standard: ask the shortest question that opens the largest honest space.
Nine question families
Knowing which family a moment calls for matters more than the exact wording.
| Family | Use | Stem | What it tends to produce |
|---|
Common repairs
Weak forms and their stronger replacements. The pattern behind most of them: remove permission theater, feed the guest nothing, and trade atmosphere for observation.
| Weak form | Replace with | Why it improves the answer |
|---|
A good question sounds almost inevitable after it is asked. If the guest must remember your syntax, the question is too long.
Drill it: Rapid Repair flashes weak questions and gives you seconds to speak the stronger form.
Try it now
Three rounds of Rapid Repair, right here. Out loud.