Sharpening Your Inquiry Skills
by Paula K. Martin, CEO,
Martin Training Associates
We all know that communication is a critical component
of a project manager's job. Up to 90% of a project manager's time is
spent communicating and a significant portion of that time should be
spent gathering information from others. One way to gather information
is through inquiry.
Most of the time we use an informal inquiry process, which is what happens
over the course of a conversation when we ask questions. In conversations
we typically switch back and forth between inquiry, asking questions,
advocacy, and stating our ideas on a subject. "What do you think about
the new PM methodology we're adopting?" (inquiry) "I think it's too
complex." (advocacy)
Sometimes we need to use a more formal, structured process for gathering
information from a person or from a group. An example would be when
you are gathering customer requirements. Formal inquiry can also be
used in conflict resolution, when you're trying to understand both sides
of an issue. The Martin Training approach to formal inquiry is divided
into four phases.
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