First off, I'm not claiming expertise on this concept of question writing, but I believe I have a good foundation to give you more than enough to start with.
For 3 years I conducted interviews in my art group, Visual Sanctuary. I tested and re-tested certain types of questions. Some questions required broad answers and some specific. Some questions required most of an evening to unravel and others were just redundant.
The process of writing a good question is more of a one-two punch with refining over an exact science. Little in life is actually an exact science.
I turned the question asking process of interviewers on myself after I read Zig Ziglar's Biscuits, fleas, and pump handles. It was liberating.
Advice-issuing friends and family often press you to state your goals in a nice squared-off corner response, but people who are not systematically wired just get frustrated with that.
Instead of getting caught up in the have-to's of goal writing, just ask a question about where you want to go.
Goal setting questions must:
- Always start with who you are
- Always start with where you are
- Always start with what your passions are
- Always start with what you want to accomplish
- Always maintain an element of uncertainty
- Always seek something beyond your current situation
- Always be flexible with on-coming circumstances
- Always involve you in a story you find interesting
You can answer these eight criteria in one or two simple questions, but probably not the first time you try. Be gracious with yourself and take the time necessary.
For the record, it took several dozen business, art, and career books to get me to this point. The process took over 5 years (half the time from college to the present) to discover how to do this.
You must be at a point in your life that you desire more than your current situation to be successful at this process. Without that passion driving you, failure will frequently snuff out your flame.
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