1, #91 - What? So What? Now What?
I think “And what else?” is the best coaching question in the world. It does two things: It extends the period of curiosity, and it tames your advice monster.
There will be a small group of “What” and “How” questions that you will find yourself using in nearly every situation. Here are a few of them: What are we trying to accomplish? How is that worthwhile? What’s the core issue here? How does that affect things? What’s the biggest challenge you face? How does this fit into what the objective is?
Chris Voss • Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
What–So What–Now What works wonders when giving a spontaneous presentation, answering a question in a job interview, giving a piece of feedback—you name it. If you go back and review this chapter, you’ll find that I used What–So What–Now What as my organizing schema.
Matt Abrahams • Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot
The most important question you can ask yourself, if you don’t know your question already, is “What question am I trying to answer?” Like with your life. This one actually should have, if not an answer, at least a working hypothesis. But since the answer is a question, we’ll let it slide.