Required Reading for Sophomores

I place a high value on questions. Intelligent people ask questions. Great executives ask questions. The highest performing sale people ask questions because they want to solve their customers’ problems rather than just “sell them stuff.”

People who ask questions are curious and both want to understand better and want to know more. Asking questions serves you personally when your professors evaluate the class participation portion of your grade. It serves you in everyday life—and it serves you still more when preparing for a career.  Asking questions of people you meet informs you and makes you a more well-rounded, interesting, and likable person.

Oddly enough, asking questions causes others to perceive you as a great conversationalist, too!

Few people have given more thought to the benefits of asking questions (or the personality trait he calls curiosity), than movie producer Brian Grazer (director Ron Howard’s business partner). Early in his career, he began scheduling curiosity conversations with notable people including spies, royals, scientists, politicians, business executives, Nobel laureates, famous artists…anyone whose story might broaden his worldview.  Granted, even he admits that he’s an Academy Award-winning movie producer sometimes opens doors for him with his intended interviewee perceiving s/he might be interested in their life story for a major motion picture. That’s seldom been the case.

Grazer’s book, Curiosity: The Secret to a Bigger Life provides solid reasons for being curious, or for developing your curiosity trait. You’ll become an interesting, more well-rounded person—and you’ll hone your question-asking skills, too.  Your subjects don’t have to be spies, heads of state, or astronauts, either. But because Grazer illustrates his curiosity trait with stories about Hollywood and its personalities, it’s fun to read. Learn more about the book and get a copy, click on the picture, below:

I update these resources from time-to-time and invite you to return to this page to see what I may have discovered that could benefit you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” That means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small "affiliate" commission. Regardless, I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will deliver value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”