February 21, 2022

Who controls the conversation?

3 giraffes who look to be in conversation against a blue and white sky

Two people are having a conversation. One person is asking all the questions and the other person is giving all the answers.

Who controls the conversation?

The one asking the questions!

That being so…If you are a manager who is answering your people’s questions all day long, then that means they are in control of every conversation with you.

As a manager, every time you provide your people an answer for which you could have asked a question, you have removed their need to think for themselves.

On the other hand, encouraging them to think helps them to grow. They will be better equipped for next time they have a question, and may not even need to ask it.

Now, you can’t just go through your day responding to every question with a question. However, getting a better balance of questions and answers will make you a better manager.

By the way, this applies to conversations with children as well 🙂

My best wishes, Paul

Paul Matthews

CEO and Founder of People Alchemy

share this article:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

related posts

The Learning Network Member Spotlight: Paul Matthews

Thanks to the Learning Network for featuring Paul on their Member Spotlight this month. “We still learn the same way ...
Read More

All I can do now, is all I can do now

Acceptance of an overfull to-do list is the first step in handling it. Railing against it won’t help; doing so ...
Read More
L&D Disrupt podcast with Paul Matthews cover image

L&D’s biggest challenges: shifting from content overload to real behaviour change

Paul is back on the L&D Disrupt podcast: in this new episode host Nelson Sivalingam and Paul dig deep into ...
Read More
Man stepping over a white line. Walking across the start line representing business and life start up concept. Top view.

Take that step

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears. Clarity doesn’t come before action. It comes from action.” ...
Read More

search blog

Get your free weekly tip

You agree that we can keep a record of your details, and send you other occasional offers. See our Privacy Policy