Published on: July 28, 2016
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Hi, Kevin Coupe here, and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
I'm reporting in this morning from the Francis Ford Coppola vineyards in Sonoma, California, where I was thinking about an encounter I had recently at another vineyard - the wonderful Willamette Valley Vineyards, just south of Portland, Oregon.
We were there with friends getting a tour from Wende Bennette (who I've rhapsodized about here from time to time, most extensively here). Another couple joined us at the last minute, and I ended up making the acquaintance of Tony Fross,who is with Capgemini Consulting and does a lot of work in the supermarket industry.
As we took the tour, Tony asked Wende a lot of questions, and he always seemed to precede them by saying, "I have a fact-finding question..." After this happened a half-dozen times or so I'd finally had enough, and so I said, "What the hell is it with the fact-finding questions? What other kind are there?"
Well, Tony Fross had an answer. Actually, he said, there are three kinds of questions. There are fact-finding questions, which are simply designed to elicit information. Then, there are the kinds of questions that are meant to challenge the veracity of the person doing the talking. And finally, there are the questions that are meant to bolster the credibility of the person doing the asking.
Well, I thought that was pretty interesting, especially because to a large degree, I'm in the business of asking questions. And Tony made the point - and I agree with him on this - that this is not to say one kind of question is better than another. They all are legitimate, and they all have their place.
But ... it is critically important that when we ask questions, we know why we're asking them and what kinds of questions they are.
That's a really good point. I thought about it a lot as I was sampling the Pinots ... which are, by the way, spectacular. I have no questions about that.
That's what on my mind this Thursday morning. As always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
- KC's View: