In every workplace conversation—whether you're leading a project, supporting a team, or navigating cross-functional challenges, —the quality of your questions directly shapes the quality of your outcomes. “Asking the Right Questions to Get the Right Answers” is a practical, skills-based course designed for professionals at all levels who want to become more effective communicators, decision-makers, and collaborators. Instead of jumping to answers or solutions, participants will learn how thoughtful, well-structured questions can clarify issues, uncover insights, strengthen relationships, and move conversations forward with purpose.

This course equips participants with practical tools and frameworks to ask questions that match their intent—whether to explore, evaluate, empower, or execute. From mastering question types and understanding when to ask versus when to listen, to applying techniques like the Inquiry Compass, Funnel Method, and Socratic questioning, learners will gain the confidence and clarity to engage in more productive conversations. The course explores how different types of questions serve different purposes, and why asking before telling can often lead to clearer thinking and better collaboration. With practical frameworks and real-world scenarios, this course builds the confidence and precision needed to solve problems more effectively and communicate with greater impact.

Objective

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the impact of well-structured questions on communication, collaboration, and decision-making
• Identify and apply different types of questions (open, closed, exploratory, diagnostic, etc.) based on intent and context
• Use frameworks such as the Inquiry Compass, Funnel Technique, and Socratic Questioning to guide precision inquiry
• Match questioning style to intent—whether to explore ideas, evaluate options, empower others, or drive execution
• Distinguish between problem-solving and coaching questions, and know when to use each
• Build the confidence to lead more productive conversations and uncover deeper insights through strategic questioning

Outline

Unit 1: Introduction: “How questioning shapes engagement and outcomes”

• The Art of Asking , rather than Telling
• What makes a question powerful or ineffective?
• Why asking the Right Questions Matters

Unit 2: The Art of Asking Questions

• Understanding Types and Purposes of Questions
• Types: Open-ended, closed, exploratory, clarifying, diagnostic, rhetorical
• Purposes: Discover, direct, challenge, reflect, provoke
• Power of “Pause”

Unit 3: How Do You Know What the Right Question Is?

• Linking Intention to Inquiry
• Aligning questions with objectives: Are you seeking information, clarity, consensus, or action?
• Tool – “The Inquiry Compass”
• Quadrants: Explore, Evaluate, Empower, Execute – match intent to question style

Unit 4: Frameworks in Questioning

• Using Structured Approaches to Guide Inquiry
• Funnel Technique – broad to narrow, useful in problem scoping
• The “Flow” in Questioning
• Socratic Questioning – to challenge assumptions and uncover deeper meaning
• Designing Questions to get the Right answers

Unit 5: Problem-Solving vs Coaching Questions

• When to Direct, When to Develop
• Problem-solving questions: Define issue, uncover data, explore options
• Coaching questions: Reflect values, explore perspectives, empower decisions

Unit 6: Considerations in Asking Questions

• Timing, people, trust, readiness
• The role of tone, body language, and phrasing
• Common pitfalls: Assumptions, leading questions, overload

Who should attend

This course is ideal for professionals at all levels who want to improve the way they communicate, collaborate, and make decisions through more effective questioning. It is especially relevant for:

• Team Leaders and Managers – who need to guide teams, resolve issues, and lead with clarity
• Project Managers and Coordinators – involved in cross-functional communication and problem scoping
• Executives and Senior Leaders – who influence strategy, culture, and complex decision-making
• Policy, Strategy, and Change Practitioners – who need to navigate ambiguity and ask high-quality questions to inform action

Methodology

Maximus Sia's Profile

• PERFORMANCE COACH (RESILIENCE, SALES, LEADERSHIP)
• Certified Associate Coach, ICI (International Assoc of Coaching Institutes)
• Certified NLP Master Practitioner (American Board ABNLP)
• Certified NLE Practitioner (IEA)(International Enneagram Assn)
• Master’s Degree, International Marketing (MScIM)
• WSQ DACE, ACTA
• SSG Certified Facilitator, Curriculum Developer, Assessor
• Associate Adult Educator (AAE) by IAL

"IN-Resilience. OUT-Perform" - Gain Inner Clarity. Discover The Will Forward.

Certified as an Associate Coach by the International Association of Coaching Institutes (ICI, Germany), Maximus Sia is highly sought after for his expertise in Resilience, Sales & Leadership and Executive Coaching. As a Trainer, Public Speaker and Performance Coach in Resilience Leadership, he has empowered over 50,000 participants to achieve excellence in work & Life over his 16 years in the industry. In his passion to help people grow, and witnessing the tremendous mental pressure Leaders experienced in meeting up to the demands of this VUCA era, he explores psychological resources to help Leaders develop "Sustainable Mental Resilience". He further his work as a doctoral candidate in PhD in Professional Coaching and Human Development with the International University of Professional Studies (IUPS, USA)). His research focuses on integrating psychological practices into Leadership Development to build Sustainable Mental Strength & Resilience. Maximus is a certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Enneagram (NLE- IEA) personality profiling and a certified NLP Master Practitioner (AB-NLP). As a Sales Coach, his sales experience spans over 35 years. He constantly received positive endorsements from his participants on his engaging facilitation & motivational style. To increase his range, Maximus facilitates more than 100 training modules, covering Professional Coaching & Human Development, Leadership & People Management, Service Excellence, Business & Strategic Management.

Maximus conducts performance training in Singapore and Asia. His clientele includes Singapore Airlines (SIA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and its entities, A*Star, Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX), MINDEF, Yamato Transport, Chugai Pharmabody Research, SingTel, OCBC, AIA Singapore. Prior to his Performance Coaching career, Maximus was among the Top Performers in the challenging Financial Planning industry, achieving outstanding sales records spanning over 16 years. He was a multiple awards winner and a global convention qualifier.