Questions are often better than answers

In a variety of settings, it’s often better to spend more time listening than talking. And in most of those same contexts, it’s a good idea to spend more time asking questions than giving your opinion.

Paul Sloane from lifehack.org wrote a terrific piece recently about the benefits to you personally and professionally by asking more questions.

It’s not that you don’t have good ideas directly, smart opinions to share, or brilliant things to say. It’s just that our initial ideas and perspectives can often be made significantly better by gaining perspective from those we’re directly working with. What’s more, by asking a question or two first, your counterpart will feel far more engaged and respected by you, and will therefore be far more receptive to the opinion or idea that follows.

Read more here.