Why is it that when I ask people “why”, I get well mannered answers that sound like they’ve been composed? by Tomoya Tachikawa.
Nishio: Can you think of a specific situation where you were asked “why” by Tachikawa-san? Tachikawa: People ask me why I started my business. NISHIO: What would you like to see Tachikawa-san do in answering that question? Tachikawa: It’s good when the other person is satisfied and we move on to the next topic Nishio: Of course, I would give an answer that “the other party will be satisfied with and we can move on to another topic”…
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competency I think there is a book on interviewing that says, “If you ask a why question, the answer is not the true reason, but the reason why you think the person should be the way he or she is. I believe it says something to the effect that you should ask questions about specific actions, not reasons.
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clean language Similarly, instead of asking “why did you do the action” or “why did the event happen,” questions are asked “what do you hope will happen by doing the action?” Instead, they ask questions that shift the time frame, such as, “What happened shortly before the event occurred?”
Not just “why.” Even questions like “What is your Purpose of Life, values?” Often the essay is returned even when the question is like “Why? This phenomenon occurs if the question is difficult to answer, has no correct answer, and must be answered immediately.
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