In the spring of 1977 a group of reporters shuffled into a small room on the first floor of Blair House, the brick townhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House. Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, was staying there and had agreed to take questions from the media. Tension in the Middle East was high, but Sadat—erudite and savvy—seemed eager to open a new chapter in the region. A young reporter in the back of the room eventually raised his hand.
“Mr. President,” he said, “you seem so sincere in your quest for peace. Why don’t you do something to demonstrate that to Israel? Perhaps you could open some direct human contact with Israel? Why not allow an exchange of journalists or athletes or scholars?”
It seemed like a simple question, but it was one no one had asked. If you want peace, wouldn’t there have to be face-to-face contact first?
Sadat thought for a minute. Then he answered: “Part of the Arab-Israeli conflict is a psychological one. I myself have no objection to this. But, believe me, our people are not yet ready for this after 29 years of hatred and four wars and bitterness. All that has happened …we must take it gradually.”
I was the young reporter at the back of the room. And that question, Sadat would later say “germinated” in his mind for months, eventually leading to his groundbreaking trip to Jerusalem to address the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and later, in 1979, to a peace treaty signed at the White House. For all the trouble in the region, that Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty remains in effect, a shred of stability in a volatile area.
There are few people in journalism better at asking questions than Frank Sesno. As CNN’s White House Correspondent, Frank never shied away from speaking truth to power. He was smooth yet forceful, respectful but skeptical. He asked probing and sharp questions. There were no speeches in his questions, no grandstanding. He listened closely to the answers and he followed up when the White House dodged or tried to change the subject.
Later, as the host of CNN’s Sunday talk show, Frank interviewed people from every walk of life. He questioned politicians and business leaders, Nobel Prize winners and celebrities, activists and athletes. He asked tough questions when necessary, but he could also gently draw out a guest who had suffered a setback, or been through tragedy. Frank’s passion for engaging people and asking questions reflects his deep curiosity in others and their stories. It shines through in Ask More, as Frank shows how anyone can be more successful by asking questions more effectively.
When I came to CNN in 1990, my experience was as a print reporter. I wasn’t used to my questions being seen on-camera or scrutinized by viewers. In those early days, Frank allowed me to shadow him as he worked. Later, when he was CNN’s Washington Bureau Chief, I benefited from his advice and counsel as I formulated my own questions to ask presidents, kings, and dictators. Frank was not only a friend and mentor; he was an exceptional teacher (something he now does for a new generation at The George Washington University). His talent for getting to the heart of the matter and making fundamental concepts clear through compelling stories and vivid examples makes this a truly engaging book from which everyone will benefit.
There are different types of questions for different types of situations. Sometimes you’re asking questions because you really don’t know the answer; other times you need to confront a person in power to hold him or her to account. In Ask More Frank explains how questions differ and how they can be used to elicit information, educate your audience, explore untold stories, build bridges, and more. His insights and practical tips—from the types of questions to ask and the best ways to structure them, to suggestions for better listening—are useful in all aspects of life and will change the way you think about asking questions.
In Ask More, Frank shares real-world examples from fascinating people skilled in probing for answers to show how all of us can use the right questions to obtain information that might otherwise elude us, to solve difficult problems, to be more creative and better informed, or to make stronger human connections. Ask More can help anyone become a better learner, leader, innovator, or citizen. From the boardroom to the living room—and maybe even the White House briefing room—if you’re looking for answers or inspiration, this book is for you. It will give you a deeper understanding of how questions work and the best ways to learn and succeed when you ask more.
Wolf Blitzer
CHAPTER 1
WHY ASK?
SMART QUESTIONS MAKE SMARTER PEOPLE. We learn, connect, observe, and invent through the questions we ask. We push boundaries and we discover secrets. We solve mysteries and we imagine new ways of doing things. We ponder our purpose and we set our sights. We hold people accountable. We live generously, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, by asking not what others can do for us, but what we can do for them. Curiosity opens our minds and captivates our imaginations.
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But the fact is, most of us don’t really understand how questions work—or how to make them work for us. In school we study math and science, literature and history. At work we learn about outcomes and metrics, profit and loss. But never do we study how to ask questions strategically, how to listen actively, or how to use questions as a powerful tool toward accomplishing what we really want to achieve.
Questions—asked the right way, under the right circumstances—can help you achieve both short-term and lifelong goals. They can open doors to discovery and success, bring you closer to a loved one, and even uncover answers to the universe’s most enduring mysteries. Insightful questions help you connect with a stranger, impress a job interviewer, or entertain at your next dinner party, and they can be the keys to a happier, more productive, and fulfilling life.
This book shows you what you get when you ask for it. In each chapter I explore a different type of question, driven by its own approach and listening skills. By the end of the book, you’ll be able to recognize what to ask and when, what you should listen for, and what you can expect as the outcome. Each chapter offers stories and looks at the genre through remarkable people who have used questions to motivate and excel.
For nearly four decades it’s been my job to ask questions. From an inner-city school to a technology revolution, from the Brandenburg Gate where a president said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” to the inauguration of the first African-American president, I have had the privilege of being there—watching, listening, and asking. I’ve interviewed world leaders who shaped history and heroes who dedicated themselves to the poor and the disabled. I’ve questioned avowed racists and the richest man in the world. As a journalist and interviewer, I have been enriched by these experiences and privileged to share them publicly—on CNN, NPR, and other media, and in front of live audiences. Now I teach college students how to ask to get information, to find the facts, to hold the powerful to account, and to create revealing moments for the world to see.
As my fascination with inquiry has grown, I’ve become increasingly alarmed about the questions we ask—or don’t ask—in public and daily life. Technology has revealed endless horizons, but it has also created a quick-hit, search-engine culture where a fast answer can obscure deeper inquiry. The polarization of politics, amplified by social media, has fractured civic discourse and infused it with invective instead of dialogue. The news media, reflecting and reinforcing these trends, have grown shorter and sharper. Compared to when I got into the business, television interviewers are given less time and focus more on controversy and horse race than on explanation and substance. Sincere questions too often play second fiddle to certainty, ideology, and outrage. But what if we asked more and asserted less? What would we discover? How much better would we understand the people around us? What if we went asking for solutions and posed truly creative questions that could change the world?