I often ask myself and others “okay, but how does that look in practice?”—this is usually when I have a vague idea about something I need to achieve a goal, but also when someone gives me some vague advice that I feel is leaving it to me to “draw the rest of the owl.”
Is this the best phrasing of the question? I have my doubts.
Firstly, is it too generalized for different domains?
“I should really organize my dresser drawers more thematically” → “okay, but how does that look in practice?”
“I need to make more of an effort to promote my freelancing” → “okay, but how does that look in practice?”
”I wish I had more money” → “okay, but how does that look in practice?”
(said by someone else offering unsolicited advice) “It sounds like you could really use a (film) producer or someone to collaborate with” → “okay, but how does finding such a person look in practice?”
(said by someone else offering unsolicited advice) “You really need to put your portfolio out there to get more commissions” → “okay, but how does that look in practice?”
I’m always suspicious of “one simple trick” and I wonder if each of these requires a bespoke question-asking approach...
Secondly I am skeptical that merely changing the phrasing of the question actually changes the underlying framing of the problem or situation at all. It would be nice if using the right question would unlock a new framing, but I don’t know how true that is.
Those doubts aside, what are the alternatives? What do you out there ask yourselves?
I often ask myself and others “okay, but how does that look in practice?”—this is usually when I have a vague idea about something I need to achieve a goal, but also when someone gives me some vague advice that I feel is leaving it to me to “draw the rest of the owl.”
Is this the best phrasing of the question? I have my doubts.
Firstly, is it too generalized for different domains?
I’m always suspicious of “one simple trick” and I wonder if each of these requires a bespoke question-asking approach...
Secondly I am skeptical that merely changing the phrasing of the question actually changes the underlying framing of the problem or situation at all. It would be nice if using the right question would unlock a new framing, but I don’t know how true that is.
Those doubts aside, what are the alternatives? What do you out there ask yourselves?