The Unreasonable Power of Multiple Questions

Multiple questions have the power to open our minds to curiosity, wonder, and discovery. Single questions limit our perspectives. The more varieties of questions we have, the more varieties of possibilities we create.

Sometimes we only have a single question. When we feel stuck, it’s often when we are working from only a single question. One question is a good start for growing varieties of questions.

We can grow varieties of questions through frameshifting and translations.

Framing shifting means shifting how we begin questions with framing words like who, what, when, where, why, how, why, which, what if, what else, should we, could we, and will we. When we have one question, we can frame shift it to any of the other framing words.

Translations means turning the uncertainties of our assumptions and ambiguities into questions. These are the assumptions of our guesses, speculations, and opinions and the ambiguities of what’s unclear, undefined, and undecided. We always have uncertainties that can turn into other questions.

It also means translating open and closed-ended questions as well as short and long- questions into each other.

More questions lead to better questions. Better questions are typically new and actionable. They feel and function entirely differently than old and non-actionable questions.

When we’re working together on something, better questions bring us together. Worse questions divide us. We can only learn together in alignment with each other. Non-alignment limits and prevents learning together.

That’s the unreasonable power of multiple questions.