• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Sources of Insight

Better Insights, Better Results

  • About
  • Articles
  • Help Me With
    • Future Self
    • Personal Development
    • Leadership
    • Emotional Intelligence
    • Mental Health
    • All Topics
  • Resources
    • Biases Library
    • Best Books
    • Book Summaries
    • Great Quotes
    • Greatness Distilled
    • Product Reviews
    • All Resources
  • Products
  • Contact

Choose “How” Questions Over “Why” Questions

by JD

Choose How Questions Over Why

"Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers." — Anthony Robbins

Why are you stuck?  That’s not a very empowering question.  You’ll just figure out reasons for why you’re stuck.  Instead, ask a question like "how can you move forward?" or "how might you accomplish that?"  The key is to ask "how" questions over "why" questions. 

In Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement, Tony Robbins writes about choosing "how" questions over "why" questions.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

  • Choose "how" questions over "why" questions.
  • Don’t dwell on what’s wrong, focus on what’s right.
  • Find a way to move forward.

Good Communicators Move Forward
Good communicators focus on moving forward over rationalizing why something’s wrong.  Robbins writes:

Good communicators aren’t interested in rationalizations of why something is going wrong.  They want to find out how to do it right.  The right questions will lead you in that direction.

Choose "How" Questions Over "Why" Questions
You should choose "how" questions over "why" questions.  Robbins writes:

Here’s another important frame.  Choose "how" questions over "why" questions.  "Why" questions can get you reasons and explanations and justifications and excuses.  But they usually don’t come up with useful information.  Don’t ask your kid why he is having trouble with algebra.  Ask him what he needs to do to perform better.  There’s no need to ask an employee why he didn’t get a contract you were bidding for.  Ask him how he can change so you’ll be certain to get the next one.

My Related Posts

  • Asking Better Questions
  • Outcome Questions
  • Step Into Your Future

Photo by Alaskan Dude.

Category: Book Nuggets, Motivation, NLPTag: Effectiveness, Motivation, NLP

About JD

Previous Post:Outcome QuestionsHow To Increase Your Resourcefulness in Any Situation with Outcome Questions
Next Post:How To Ask Intelligently for What You Want

Sidebar

About the Author

JDI am J.D. Meier. Join me on a quest for the world's best insights and actions for personal greatness. Learn more...

My Best-Selling Book

This is the book that changes lives ...

Become the Greatest Version of Yourself!

Learn better skills fo personal greatness. Stand on the shoulders of giants and awaken your greatness. Realize your human potential through the world’s best insights and actions for mind, body, emotions, career, finance, relationships, and fun.

My Other Sites

  • JD Meier.com
  • Getting Results.com

Topics

  • Personal Development
  • Leadership
  • Productivity
  • Personal Effectiveness
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • All Topics

Features

  • Featured Guests
  • Book Summaries
  • Books I Recommend
  • Great Lessons
  • Great Quotes
  • How Tos
  • Lists
  • Products I Recommend
  • All Resources

Copyright © 2023 · Sources of Insight · All Rights Reserved