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Episode 39: Answering Your Questions about our Questions

A friend of Rob’s raised this question: “Can you talk about where you get your great questions? You are great question-askers.  How do you find ‘em, how do you collect ‘em?´

In this episode, Tricia and Rob offer their answers to that great question!

Rob talks of his own focus on listening and looking for great questions more than great answers. He hates small talk, so he goes to parties armed with questions that aren’t based on the weather or the surface kinds of topics that go nowhere.  Tricia finds that a tradition of having great conversations over the dinner table when she and Rob were growing up has lent itself to now finding much to talk about with each other as adults.

This podcast actually grew out of the number of times that Tricia and Rob were each asked in various settings, “So, what are you two thinking about, writing about, speaking up about?”

Rob talks about the tagline of his own podcast series, The Leading Creative Podcast: “to be interested, not interesting.” He shares the advice he received from a good friend and fellow actor: “Be fully engaged and fully interested in the scene that is happening around you on stage. When you are, the audience will be, too.” Rob discusses how taking this advice changed his experience as an actor and comedian in live theatre, and actually, in all areas of life. 

Likewise, Tricia shares how this one truth changed her writing career as she learned the deep value and skill of telling other people’s stories, not just her own.

Rob shares an excellent tip for those who are content creators (teachers, actors, leaders of organizations) about how to think carefully and creatively when listening to someone being interviewed.

“You don’t need to talk about everything you know!” – Rob and Tricia’s Grandma C.

“There are two kinds of people in the world: the people who say, ‘Here I am!’ and the people who say, ‘There you are!’” – Tricia, quoting her friends Dave and Angie.

“When you position yourself to be a question ‘answerer,’ there’s a pressure to fill the time and the space. When you position yourself to be a question ‘asker,’ you don’t have to fill the time and space! A lot of pressure is removed from you, and both you and they are still learning.” – Rob

“The reason that I write in library books is that I forget not to.” -- Tricia

Sources mentioned or quoted on this episode:

The Edison Deck – 150+ prompts designed to start conversations

Table Topics – a box of questions Tricia uses with her family to have great dinner table conversations (an ongoing challenge for mothers of boys). Excellent for parenting at all life stages.

3,000 Questions about Me, 3,000 Questions about You, 3,000 Questions Either/Or.  A book series designed to raise conversations in various settings. Especially good for getting to know new friends or to chat with old friends at deeper levels than small talk.

One Question, by Ken Coleman

Lead to Win, a podcast series by Michael Hyatt

Let’s Talk Soon is honored to promote our sponsor for this episode, Heyer Expectations, an executive recruiting company.  Specializing in the fields of technology and cloud design as well as the broader areas of business and management, Peter Heyer, CEO, can find anyone for any position to meet your company’s needs!  If you’d like to chat with him about your hiring needs, send him an email at heyerexpectations.com!