All Things Inspired

Having an inquisitive mind is having an intellectual curiosity!

Having an inquisitive mind is having an intellectual curiosity. It is natural to want to know things, regardless of the immediate or obvious usefulness of what you want to learn. It is being curious and eager to acquire new knowledge of things.

Being inquisitive in mind helps facilitate critical thinking. Critical thinking is a mode of thinking by which the quality of one's thinking process improves by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing the thought process. Thus, being inquisitive provides better knowledge in the process to analyze, assess, and reconstruct. The end result is critical thinking that should provide improved communication and problem-solving skills.

Why is this important in what you do? By being more inquisitive and more critical in your thinking, you can gain more knowledge of people and situations you encounter. This type of insight will greatly improve all types of relationships in your life.

Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. When you reach this level of inquisitiveness, you will find yourself asking more and more questions in almost every situation in your life. When my wife and I are out together, she bears witness to my process of being inquisitive. That is usually followed by the rolling of eyes. But she would also tell you that often I gain knowledge that helps us in any type of situation.

Think of a time or situation that you were in where you thought you knew what was needed to make an informed decision. You probably felt like things were going along smoothly and then suddenly the situation came to a close without accomplishing what you wanted. What did you miss in the process? What could have happened to derail your progress?

Chances are the answer to those questions would be, "I don't know!"

But, if you examine the truth, you probably didn't ask enough questions throughout the process to expose potential distractors that kept you from accomplishing what you set out to do.

If you are to become successful at being an inquisitive mind, you must first become proficient at being an active listener. In my collective years of sales management, I've worked with numerous young or inexperienced salespeople that when in a process of discovering through conversations with prospects, the biggest mistake they made was failing to listen to what the prospect was saying to them. They seemed to be so focused on what they were supposed to say next that they missed the opportunity for that person to tell them the exact direction to take to lead the conversation.

Be a good listener first and foremost. Secondly, learn to process the information you are receiving from the other person as quickly as you can. Then you can begin the process of asking questions. Not just any questions, but the right questions. Why do we ask questions anyway? When you are asking enough of the right questions, you get people to open up about themselves, their challenges, their ideas, and their basic needs of concern. There are several types of questions that will help you accomplish the objective of asking questions. Let's take a look at a few...

Leading - this type of question does just what it says...leads. It leads or encourages the person to your desired answer.
Probing - this type of question seeks an open-ended answer. You are trying to get the person to open up, talking about themselves, and what drives them. You can use simple questions such as, "why?", "How did that happen?", or a simple statement such as, "Tell me more".
Rhetorical - use this type of question when you already know the answer but you're trying to make a point. It adds a bit of dramatic flair if you will, but it is highly effective if you become skilled at questioning.
Affirming - this type of question is to be used when you want to confirm a statement that the other person made. It might sound like this, "So, let me make sure I heard you correctly. You're saying that ...?"
Closing - when you feel that the conversation has reached its pinnacle, this is the best type of question to wrap things up. It could be as simple as asking, "Is there anything else I should know?" When you ask this type of question, the next key action for you is silence. Yes silence! Don't say another word until they do. This is a powerful way to control the conversation.

As you begin your quest to become an inquisitive-minded person, start by trying a few different types of questions. Again, the single most important thing you can do in this process is to first listen. Once you become a successful listener, you'll develop an instinct to follow up your questions with additional questioning that expands on the person's answer and guides them to go further in the direction you wish to lead the conversation. And remember this, the better the flow of listening and then questioning, this interaction becomes a conversation rather than an interrogation. When you begin to take this process of learning and growing in knowledge it becomes contagious. The ability to ask good questions is the greatest resource you have in learning the truth! Here's some other benefits of asking a lot of questions...

You learn more - the obvious benefit, right? It's simple, ask-learn. It's more than just asking casual questions. It's having target specific questions delivered by you with genuine interest in the topic at hand. Be engaged in the process. This shows the other person that you are truly interested in them and what they have to say!
Improves your people skills - if you're listening and asking questions, you will naturally have better conversations. This can be impactful in building real connections with people.
Improves your job performance - it opens your perspectives on situations. It will foster better working relationships with people.
Being inquisitive is fun - if you love to learn new things, you'll find yourself really enjoying these types of conversations with other people and helping find ways to improve their situation. An active mind is a healthy mind.

So, despite what you've heard, curiosity doesn't kill the cat; it makes the cat wiser and stronger, and that's pretty cool! Be a cool cat!

At this point in the topic, you may be asking yourself, how can I become an inquisitive person? First ask yourself, in any situation, what do I really want to learn from this, and if I am experiencing discomfort from it, what is causing the discomfort? Having the desire to learn about or understand situations you encounter, or anything else in your life for that matter, is the main characteristic of an inquisitive-minded person. You can develop an inquisitive mind. Here are some ways to develop this attribute...

Have confidence that you can become more inquisitive.
A good way to start is to just ask one question..."why?" It is the absolute best question to ask if you want to gain knowledge.
Seek to not only ask questions, but to be active and engaged in listening. Meaningful conversations are so valuable in life. Strive to have meaningful conversations!
Reflection is a powerful tool in understanding what you have experienced. Along with asking better questions and getting better answers, reflection is the key to gaining complete understanding and knowledge of what you are trying to learn.
Enjoy the process of inquisitive learning. Don't overthink it, but revel in the moment of learning.

As we said earlier, successful people ask better questions, and they demand better answers. The better you become at this, the better informed you'll become and that leads to better decision making. It's a wonderful way to control conversations and encourage further thought processes.

Leonardo da Vinci noted that learning never exhausts the mind. Open a new world of exploration for yourself. Be inquisitive. Be an active listener. Engage in meaningful conversations and you will be on your way to becoming an inquisitive mind!

Be inspired! Inspire others!