Page 87 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

78 ASK A BETTER QUESTION

BETTER QUESTIONS: PUSHING BEYOND THE KNOWN

Let’s talk about the answers to my questions, both your answers and
the answers I get in my workshops. Of course, for the first question
about what I am wearing, you knew the answer. Black suit. Neutral
shirt. And so on. The known. However, when you had to wonder,
when you had to engage your imagination, that was a different story.
To the second question, “What kind of socks might I be wearing?”
in my workshops the first answer I usually hear is “black socks.” Big
surprise. Black suit, black shoes, black socks. Wow! I also often hear
wool or Gold Toe. Sometimes I hear designs—argyle, paisley, polka
dots, stripes.
If I haven’t heard designs and people are kind of stifled, then I ask
the third question, “What’s the design on my socks?” If they weren’t
mentioned already, I tend to hear the usual suspects. Argyle. Paisley.
Stripes. Polka dots.
When I ask, “What’s an unusual design you wouldn’t expect to
find on socks?” I often hear topical things. Around Christmastime,
I hear “Christmas trees,” “Santa Claus.” Around World Series time I
hear “baseballs,” “Babe Ruth.” During the O.J. Simpson trial, I heard
“Nicole’s blood” (yuck!). I often hear topical things and sometimes I
hear things like “fish,” “flowers,” “race cars.” These are unusual
designs.
Finally, I ask the question, “What’s a highly unusual design you
would never, ever expect to find on socks?” Typically, that’s when people
start using their imaginations and coming up with things that they
haven’t seen or are unlikely to see. They push it out: flying ele-
phants... neckties on socks...Bela Lugosi in a swimsuit.
Yes, the imagination often comes up with some pretty amazing pos-
sibilities when pushed. Again, the exercise illustrates a thinking tool. A
creative thinking tool. A Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy tool called Ask a
Better Question.

IT STARTS WITH THE QUESTION

Suppose I started with this question, “What’s a highly unusual design
that you would never expect to find on socks?”
Would I have heard “black” or “Gold Toe” or “knee-high”? No.
Would I have heard “argyle, paisley, stripes” if I had asked for an
unusual design? Not on your life. You see, in my workshops, and prob-