Ever notice questions go unanswered at times?
Pay attention to questions that go unanswered.
We are uniquely able to move on from questions before answering them. There can be several reasons: trust of the asker; uncertainty of the answer; inability to come up with an answer; lack of interest in finding an answer; or a distraction caused by the question that leads to an answer to a different question.
Regardless of the reason, the decision to not give an answer can be significant.
Depending on etiquette rules, the follow up on unanswered questions can be tricky business. Here is another idea: mark the question and return to it later (by yourself or with the person who did not answer), to consider the reasons it went unanswered. There is rich understanding that can develop by paying close attention to the questions that go unanswered. If the answers involve teamwork or other group dynamics, spend time on those unanswered questions because they speak volumes about how those folks get along.
At times, the unanswered questions we ask can be more telling than the answers we hear!
This is an excellent observation. What comes to mind in my case relates to client engagements.
Unanswered questions from our clients can result in our firm committing to build a website when we don’t have all the requirements. It’s a great way to get a new client, but can lead to lower profitability and possibly losing that clients future business once the first project completes.
Thanks for the insight, as usual!