Asking Smarter Questions: How To Be an Agent of Insight (Using Data Better)

Description

Insight is the superpower that drives innovation and enables us to understand the world from other peoples’ points of view, be they customers or colleagues, advocates or competitors. This new book from data storyteller Sam Knowles explains how to ask smarter questions – questions that, by design, stimulate more useful answers. This is the shortcut to better productivity, fast-tracked innovation, and organisational success – for businesses, universities, charities, and governments. For too long, the simple act of asking questions has been overlooked as almost too trivial to contemplate. Asking Smarter Questions seeks to champion the art of curiosity by setting out a framework to make every question count. The fundamental building blocks of insight are data and information, joined together in new and often unpredictable ways. The way we surface new data and information and make meaningful connections between data points is by asking smarter questions. By taking this approach, you can make your organisation a less confrontational, more collaborative, and more productive environment in which to work – particularly in the more distributed and remote settings that will characterise the 2020s. Managers, directors, and leaders will find the universal principles, expert interviews, and data-driven recommendations a source of inspiration to share with their teams. Asking Smarter Questions is aimed at professionals in businesses and organisations across all sectors, and will help those working in many functions, including market research, intelligence, insight, analytics, strategy, marketing, communications, planning, product development, and innovation. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements and inspirations Preface 1 What’s all the fuss about? Interview: Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Laureate 2 What did the bloody Greeks ever do for us? Interview: Armand D’Angour, University of Oxford 3 Why should we even bother with “Why?”? Interview: Timothy Bishop, QC 4 Curiosity did WHAT, did you say? Interview: Jane Frost, Market Research Society 5 What makes a good question? Interviews: Tim Johns (Orato Consulting) Pip Brown (Conflict Insights) Rob Varcoe (Rob Varcoe Consulting) 6 What makes a bad question? Interview: Stuart Lotherington, SBR Consulting 7 Does silence and listening matter? Interview: Sensei Tania Tuner, Zen Buddhist 8 Can we go over that in forensic detail? Interviews: Chris Gregg, West Yorkshire Police DS Tom Barker, North Yorkshire Police 9 Do you like my bedside manner? Interviews: Dr James Lewis, GP Jane Fryer, Daily Mail 10 Just how sensitive should a question be? Interview: Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts, authors of Brandsplaining 11 What are the best questions in the world? Where can I find out more? Index