How to Ask the Best Probing Questions

This is the eBook version of the printed book.

This Element is an excerpt from The Art of Asking: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers (9780137144242) by Terry J. Fadem. Available in print and digital formats.

Ask the probing questions that get you past deceit, defensiveness, half-truths, secrecy, and misdirection.

Probing is aggressive follow-up questioning. However, you are not just interested in keeping a continuous discussion going. Probes are used to look for something other than what the discussion, paper, or message has provided. You probe when you encounter potential deceit, defensive behavior, half-truths, challenges, misdirected answers, and dead experts.