<h2><b>The SMART Question Challenge </b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Today I have a challenge for you, but first we need to set some foundations…</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A lot of coaches, I find are very curious… they like to explore, challenge themselves, learn new things and with that comes a lot of questioning.</span>
<ul>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do you ask a lot of questions?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do you get into debates online about anatomy or exercises?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe you are in a Facebook group that is set up to answer your questions, or for you to find answers? </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do you get frustrated by some of the answers you get?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you ever considered that the answer you get may in fact highlight a problem with the quality of your question?</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn't just my opinion, you will here my buddy, Ben Coomber of the BTN Academy, also advocating the practice and use of great questions for a better chance of getting good quality answers.</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Did your parents ever give you a stupid answer to a question, full well knowing what they were doing and then follow it up with…</span>
<blockquote><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer?”</span></i></blockquote>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was an early teaching moment for lots of us to make sure we asked the right question.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The question I would like to ask you is <a href="https://coachfoundation.com/blog/effective-coaching-techniques/">are your questions S.M.A.R.T</a>?</span>

&nbsp;
<h3><b>Are You Asking SMART Questions?</b></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yup I just made that a thing or maybe someone else did, in fact, use the SMART acronym in relation to great questioning &amp; I just </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">thought </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">I made it up...</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Anyway...</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Here we will discuss and challenge the vague nature of many common questions since they </span>
<ol>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do not equip one with enough information to respond with clarity </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leave room for ambiguity and a response that is coming from a different mindset to that of the person asking the question - which commonly leads to misinterpretation.</span></li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<h3><b>Cognitively Biased?</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">  </span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The most common question I get asked is </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“what's the best way to squat?”. </span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Well I am unable to answer this with such a poor quality of question, its far too ambiguous. Much more information is required to gain a decent response. </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">When I get asked this (which is a lot) my reply is always </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“why are you asking?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">”</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The information needed to be in a position to offer a helpful reply is:</span>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Goal</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Level/Experience</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ability</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Injury History</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mindset</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Etc etc</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once this information is gathered a half decent reply is more likely to be coming your way!</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet learners, and even my social media ‘friends’, often ask me ambiguous questions like</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “what’s your opinion on…?”. </span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The very nature of this question fascinates me since why would my </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">opinion</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> matter? The questions are more often than not technical in nature so a solution based response is in fact what most people are really after...my <em>opinion</em> is irrelevant!</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We all have a biased view of the world and if someone asks your </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">opinion</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on squatting for example it leaves far too much information out.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">For example…...</span>

&nbsp;
<h3><b><i>Are Squats Dangerous?</i></b></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Imagine an article with this title. In fact, it wouldn't be uncommon in today's clickbait society. A reader might be thinking </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">squats</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are bad for us after reading an article about risk during squats. Yet the article was in fact related to the ‘overhead’ squat specifically for example. If the author didn't communicate well the specific style of squat or if the reader only read a portion of (or just scanned) the article this creates a room for misinterpretation.</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Another reader might be left thinking of a bodyweight squat and develop a fear of squatting in general, even squatting down to her kids.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet these are very different variables being considered. The style or type of squat must be clarified since there are far to many variations of squatting to simply suggest... all squats are dangerous </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Asking great questions gives you a much better chance of getting a really good answer. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Questions that gain information that are:</span>
<ul>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specific - what type of squat? </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Measurable - the range of motion?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Achievable - individual limitations? knowledge/language </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Realistic - does it fit the person and the goal?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Timely - when do you need to know by? </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">This then gives more clarity to the subject being questioned like the example in the article </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Are Squats Dangerous?</span></i>

&nbsp;
<h3><b>Questions (And Answers) On Social Media</b></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Remember social media isn’t really monitored that heavily for ‘quality’ of even authenticity of the publisher/s… that’s YOU &amp; Me too by the way! So we are left to post pretty much whatever we want AND to choose who we question and who we choose to believe.  </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A great starting point is to ask yourself these questions first…</span>

&nbsp;
<ol>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why you’re asking? </span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Who are you asking?</span></li>
 	<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The detail behind it the point of the question</span></li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">If you want an opinion on something that someone has never experienced they surely cannot answer with integrity, right?</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The key to great questioning is clarity in what you’re really trying to find out.</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Poor Questioning</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">What’s your opinion….</span></i>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">What do you think about…</span></i>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">These are often too open &amp; flaky </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Great Questioning:</span>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Defines the problem </span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Explains what it is your trying to find the answer to and for</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keeps it SMART.</span></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This allows for a clear response from them since the goal is clearer</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">If you are giving your opinion or your thoughts, or even presenting research to back up your argument… before you say anything….. ask yourself…Have I FULLY understood the question? Do I know EXACTLY what they are asking? If the answer is no, then I suggest responding with a question first to clarify their question and help them ask a better question. You might notice this is something I do a lot, and even more so on our courses.</span>

&nbsp;
<h2><b>SMART Question Challenge </b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">If you had just one question opportunity with the person you admire &amp; respect the most in your industry, what would it be &amp; to whom??</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Mine would be :</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">To Professor Stuart McGill - "If money wasn't an issue who would be your favourite clients type to train / coach exercise to and why?"</span>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<hr />

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