Question-asking is not as simple as it seems. There’s an art to it. How they are asked have a significant impact on the accuracy and quality of the answers. The people that inhabit your market have unique and specific perspectives. Which means your questions have to be spot-on.
Here are some question-asking pitfalls to be aware of:
Don’t Ask Why
We often don’t really know exactly why we like, feel, or perceive something. Our knee jerk answers lie on the surface of our awareness. Nothing wrong to begin with asking “Why?” After all, that’s what you want to know. However the responses that give us insight to human behavior lie far beneath the “Why”. The real driver of our behavior often difficult to put into words. Ever had trouble finding the words to capture what you think or feel? Welcome to the club.
Spotlighting
Generally speaking, most of us don’t like drawing attention to ourselves. We also don’t want to answer a question in a way that may portray ourselves in a bad light. It’s safer to say something similar to what others say.
“What do you typically give your children for dinner?” A mother may not say “McDonald’s” or “Chef Boyardee and a Coke”. She may be concerned that response could make her look like a bad mother. Chances are the response will be geared to a dinner that sounds healthier. It would be better to ask, “What do your children usually want for dinner”. It takes the focus off her as a mother and shifts it to her children. You’ll spend less time overcoming evasion and defensiveness and more time on the real problem.
Show Don’t Tell
Because of the Curse of Knowledge, we forget that other people may not know the same things as we do. For instance, making oatmeal. “Tell me how you make oatmeal.” Someone who has made oatmeal many times, will unintentionally give vague or incomplete information. It’s hard to unlearn what we know. You know those assembly instructions that reduced you to tears? Obviously whoever wrote them didn’t keep in mind that you’ve never assembled a swing set. Instead, have people show rather than tell you how they do something. You’ll find that showing is infinately more revealing than telling
Avoid Yes/No Questions
Do you like dogs? “No”. “Are organic foods good for you? “Yes”. Nothing wrong with asking yes/no questions, but be aware the more you ask close ended questions, the harder it will be to get people to give you more meaning responses. Better to ask questions that will springboard your queries into deeper waters. “What’s the difference between organic and processed food?”
Don’t Expect Words to Capture Feelings
It’s difficult to for us to explain our feelings to others. Sometimes it’s hard for usd to go beyond “it makes me feel good/bad”. Feelings usually aren’t that simple. For example, “Describe your feelings when you finally lose those last 5 pounds”. Don’t be surprised by a simple answer like “It makes me happy”. You’re better off providing another form of expression. Give people a pile of supplies to create a feeling. Using playdough, crayons, construciton paper, pictures, glue, scissors, yarn, etc. is one way to help them accurately articulate emotion.
Silence Can Be Golden
It’s called “holding the space”. It means giving someone the time they need to answer. He or she may need a little to think. Thoughtful answers translate into thoughtful insights. Of course fill the space if someone displays discomfort with silence. But more often than not, the question-asker is the one feeling uncomfortable with a little silence while the other respondent is busy thinking about what he or she wants to say. Either way, avoid peppering study participants with questions one right after the other. Give them time to think.
Some Helpful Tips for Question-Asking
- Think about questions in terms of who, what, where, and how. Also, think of action words for the beginning of your question such as “describe” “tell” “show” “give”. This will help you avoid yes/no responses.
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Pictures are a great tool for going beyond the obvious. Avoid using too many photos with expected associations. Mountains are typically associated with strength or an obstacle. A windowpane with raindrop is often interpreted as sadness. Include some photos where you have no idea what the images could possibly mean. You’ll be surprised at how many people can assign meaning to a wine cork.
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If you’re uncomfortable with holding the space for an answer, practice in everyday conversation. Train yourself to wait a few moments in silence. For those us who find conversational silence difficult, here’s a little trick. Place your index finger vertically across your lips and nod your head in a way that looks like you’re listening. Doing that will keep you from filling in those few moments of silence.
Practice Makes Perfect
When bow and arrow enthusiasts hit a bullseye, they say “money”. So, when it comes to question-asking, pay attention to how you ask them. Practice your question-asking skills in everyday conversation. Learn to do it well, and you’ll be saying “money” too.
Asking questions about what we want to know seems pretty straight forward. Truth is, how those questions are asked has a significant impact on the accuracy and quality of the responses. Question-asking is not as simple as it seems. There’s an art to it.
Good questions are particularly important in niche markets. The people in those markets have unique and specific perspectives. That’s what niche markets are all about. Which means everything about your product, brand identity, messaging, plus channels of communication and distribution, have to be spot-on.
Here are some question-asking pitfalls to be aware of:
Don’t Ask Why
“Why do you like candy?’ “Why do you go to movie theaters?” Obvious responses lead to obvious insights. Do you really want to spend money to learn, “Because candy is sweet” or “I like movie screens and the popcorn”? In addition, we often don’t really know why we like, feel, or perceive something. Those answers tend to lie beneath the surface of our awareness. And even if there’s an awareness of a deeper resonating reason, it’s often difficult to put into words. Ever had trouble finding the words to capture what you think or feel? Welcome to the club.
Not Everyone Likes the Spotlight
Generally speaking, we don’t like drawing attention to ourselves in front of others. We also don’t want to answer a question in a way that risks portraying ourselves in a bad light. It’s safer to say something similar to what others say.
“What do you typically give your children for dinner?” A mother may not say “McDonald’s” or “Chef Boyardee and a Coke”. She may be concerned that response could make her look like a bad mother. Chances are the response will be geared to a dinner that sounds healthier. It would be better to ask, “What do your children usually want for dinner”. It takes the focus off her as a mother and shifts it to her children. And you get to the problem faster. You’ll spend less time overcoming defensiveness and more time on the real problem. Most likely it has to do with getting her kids to eat healthy meals, and having to throw away what they don’t eat (translation – healthy food will cost more money).
Show Don’t Tell
Because of the Curse of Knowledge, we forget that other people may not know the same things as we do. For instance, making oatmeal. “Tell me how you make oatmeal.” Someone who has made oatmeal many times, will unintentionally give vague or incomplete information. We can’t unlearn what we know. You know those assembly instructions that reduced you to tears? Whoever wrote didn’t keep in mind that you’ve never assembled a swing set before. To get a response that fully captures certain kinds of behaviors, have people show you how they do something. You’ll find that showing is infinitely better than telling.
Avoid Yes/No Questions
Do you like dogs? “No”. “Are organic foods good for you? “Yes”. Not very revealing, is it? Better to ask questions that will springboard your queries into deeper waters. “Can you tell a difference between organic foods and processed food?”
Don’t Expect Words to Capture Feelings
It’s difficult to for us to explain our feelings to others. Sometimes it’s hard for someone to go beyond “it makes me feel good/bad”. Feelings usually aren’t that simple. For example, “Describe your feelings when you finally lose those last 5 pounds”. Don’t be surprised by a simple answer like “It makes me happy”. Give people a pile of supplies to create a feeling. Using playdough, crayons, construciton paper, pictures, glue, scissors, yarn, etc. is one way to help them express the nuances of emotion.
Silence Can Be Golden
It’s called “holding the space”. It means giving someone the time they need to answer. He or she may need a little to think. Thoughtful answers translate into thoughtful insights. Of course fill the space if someone displays discomfort with silence. But sometimes you might be the one that’s uncomfortable with a few moments of silence while the other person is busy thinking about what he or she wants to say. Either way, avoid peppering study participants with questions one right after the other. Give them time to think.
Some Helpful Tips for Question-Asking
- Think about questions in terms of who, what, where, and how. Also, think of action words for the beginning of your question such as “describe” “tell” “show” “give”. This will help you avoid yes/no responses.
-
Pictures are a great tool for going beyond the obvious. Avoid using too many photos with expected associations. Mountains are typically associated with strength or an obstacle. A windowpane with raindrop is often interpreted as sadness. Include some photos where you have no idea what the images could possibly mean. You’ll be surprised at how many people can assign meaning to a wine cork.
-
If you’re uncomfortable with holding the space for an answer, practice in everyday conversation. Train yourself to wait a few moments in silence. For those us who find conversational silence difficult, here’s a little trick. Place your index finger vertically across your lips and nod your head in a way that looks like you’re listening. Doing that will keep you from filling in those few moments of silence.
Practice Makes Perfect
When bow and arrow enthusiasts hit a bullseye, they say “money”. So, when it comes to question-asking, pay attention to how you ask them. Practice your question-asking skills in everyday conversation. Learn to do it well, and you’ll be saying “money” too.
A recent survey asked 20 to 60-year-olds what decade they thought was the best to live in, or wish they had lived in. The majority of decades deemed best to live were from the 1970s to the 2000s. Two things about these results were particularly striking societal commentaries. First, across the board all respondents said that how they experienced life went all downhill after 2010. One participant summed it all up as “it sucked”. Interestingly enough, despite shoulder pads, glam rock, the age of greed, and yuppies, nearly all the 20-year-olds wished they had lived in the 1980’s. In fact, many of them expressed a sense of loss.
Conversely, post-2010 was hands down the worst decade. And all for the same reason: an ever-increasing presence and use of the internet and digital technologies. Life was on a fast forward that left childhood behind in the dust.
For those who chose the 1980’s being a teenager seemed deeper, richer, and more remarkable. Many yearned for real friendships (versus facebook friends) within a close-knit group of friends, in-person social interactions, and sharing experiences firsthand with others. It felt like something that no longer existed – the individual meaningful experinces sandwiched between carefree kid and adulthood. This was supposed to be significant and memorable threshold that was, in one way or another, shared by all teens. “Brat Pack” film, TV shows like Friends, music, and the storied pasts of those who grew up in the 80’s.
In fact, these 20-somethings had sense of loss. This age group felt like they missed out on what their teenage experience could have been. From their perspective, the 1980’s were united by coming of age alongside each other. It was a time when life when they were free from the internet, life was simpler, people were nicer, and the music was better. Camelot-like in nature, the 80’s far more fun, exciting, interesting, and memorable than the lives they knew.
Here are the rankings for the best decade to live in from 1900s – 2020s accompanied by some survey comments that captured respondents overall perceptions and sentiments.
#1. The 1980s
“Mixed tapes! I loved listening to the American top 40 and recording all my favorite songs”.
“…life was simple. Helping one another was the normal and we didn’t believe in bullying”.
“The 80s seemed such a fun and prosperous time.”
“…no internet and no chat rooms. People socialized outside. They went to parties and evening dances. We just don’t have that…”
“…from what I’ve seen in movies and read in biographies, the 80s were the best in the US.”
“I was born in the wrong generation. I love all the music from the 80s, like Nirvana, Led Zeplin and Pink Floyd. I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN A TEEN IN THE 80’s!
- The 1990s
“It was probably the most peaceful of any decade in the last 100 years. Everyone had money and everyone was (relatively! ) happy.”
“…we had mobile phones and the Internet but they hadn’t taken over our lives yet and we got great movies and T.V. shows”.
- The 2000s
“… grew up in the 2000’s, it was great. Technology was not abused, and it was lighter. There wasn’t so much pressure. It was like a prolonged 20th century.”
“… there was a hopeful outlook for the future, particularly with the progress being made in science, technology and egalitarianism.”
“Enough technology that we could find out things, it wasn’t until the 2010s that the internet completely ruined everything.”
- The 1970s
“The best music was spawned in the 70’s. Musicians actually played instruments we used record players and not digital music.”
“People seemed very casual in the 70s.”
“The 70s had THE BEST cars. You can’t say there’s anything cooler than a bright red 1973 Plymouth ‘Hemi Cuda with yellow flames and slick tires with stripes on the sidewalls.”
“The Vietnam War ended. A new realism in movies, T.V., music, and comedy. It was the 60s dressed in a Leisure Suit, in a good way.“
- The 1960s
“Great Music and hippie culture. – The Beatles (Need I say more).”
“First Wave feminism and less of a class based society in Britain.“
“…we may of been poorer but life had a cadence to it.”
- The 2010s
“…got broken by the information overload, fakeness and health crisis of the 2020s.”
“I say that any decade before 2010 is a good decade.”
“Kids don’t act like kids anymore instead they act like they’re a bunch of adults with boyfriends and iPhone 6s, the 2010s sucks.”
- The 1950s
“1950’s was an amazing decade! WWII was over and US citizens benefited greatly from this victory. The dollar stretched far & wide, the cars looked tough and were super affordable.“
“As a white man, the ’50s may have been the best decade to grow up in. As a black man, the ’50s easily ranks at the bottom of the list.”
“Cool music and fashion but not the best time to live in if you are a person of color, LGBTQ+, or even a woman.”
- The 1920s
“1920s! The time when everybody wore suits and dresses, people had so much class. They were very polite. Like bro. I’d give second to the 70s and third to the 90s. Then the fifties.“
“It was all about the party back then. Murders? What murders? Oh, yeah I forgot about the gangsters and polio. At least we were classy.“
“I agree, it was classy. The flappers were pretty cool too. I wish people were as elegant nowadays“
- The 1900s
“Far from the best but this decade looked better than the horror that was the 1930s or WWI throughout the 1910s ( 1910-1913 and 1919 looked okay though ).“
- The 1940s
“Wartime decade in the history. Compares to the worst decade of 2010s or so and 2020.”
“Yeah, probably not the best time period to live in if you were German, Jewish, Russian, British, Polish or Chinese…”
What is it about the 80’s that those 20-somethings perceive they missed out on that was so important? What is it that they are really yearning for? It’s not just 20-year-olds either. People in other age groups, although not as many, also said the 80s was the best decade to live in. While there was a wide range of respondent age and decade periods, all participants had something in common. Their choice of decade was driven from the perspective of a teenager. Given the nature of that time of transition from kid to man and womanhood, it’s no surprised that our teenage experience becomes deeply rooted in our psyche.