An interesting event occurred at a press conference with the former U.S president, Barack Obama, after a summit meeting on November 12, 2010. Obama gave the privilege of the last question to Korean reporters, the conference’s organizer. However, contrary to expectation, it was quiet, and they were dumb as an oyster. They eventually lost the chance of the question to a Chinese reporter.

The Korean reporters were denounced in public outcry, but such a sight is common nowadays in Korean society. Why are we reluctant to ask questions? In fact, we think even ‘asking a question’ should be ‘a definite solution’, and we are longing for ‘the answer’ to give a perfect question. In this article, let’s check out the book, Seven Powers of Questions, which is about the importance of proper questions in daily life.

  The first power: When you ask a question, you can get an answer.

  Questions stimulate the nervous system, activate brain cells, and lead to answer unwittingly. Of course, the other party may not reply, but people feel pressure that they should answer when they are questioned. For such reasons, the questioner has more advantage than the responder.

  The second power: Questions stimulate thought.

  Questions cause a change in people’s ideas. For example, the question “What would you do if you had only one month left to live?” makes people think about the most important things in life.

  The third power: You can get lots of information when you ask.

  A former soccer coach Lou Holtz said, “I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.” We must continue to question to make wise decisions, to learn new things, to understand oneself and others, and to profit by it.

  The fourth power: You can control yourself when you ask.

  People can think more rationally when they control themselves. And if they do so, people can communicate their ideas exactly to others. For instance, before questioning the other party, the question can be more clear and specific if you think calmly about the topic and contents about what to ask. (the realm of control)

  The fifth power: Questions let others’ minds open.

  A careful question goes beyond the intellectual realm and into the emotional realm. It allows people to analyze and understand people who live and work together as well as the invisible self.

  The sixth power: Questions make people listen carefully.

  The better you ask, the clearer and more meaningful the answers you get, and the more you listen. The more you focus on listening, the better questions you can ask, and the better answers you can get.

  The seventh power: You can convince yourself if you answer questions.

  When you ask a question, you should relax your mind and listen to the other person’s answer. And the other person will have to think for a while to answer the question. It is a persuasion that makes one think. Questions have more power to recognize themselves than to teach them a lesson.

  So far, we have simply checked the seven powers of questions. There are no foolish questions in the world, and proper questions can lead to smooth communication and creative thinking. Have you ever had an experience where there were so many questions you wanted to ask, but didn’t ask one question because of fear? Then, don’t be afraid to ask questions through this book and get away from the idea that questions should get the answer.