Asking the Right Questions
Many years ago, at the beginning of my speaking career, I created and delivered a workshop on creativity at a Toastmasters International Conference. In my research on the topic, I read a book called Five Star Mind by Tom Wujek, and it talked about the power of questions to give your mind focus. This story is an excerpt from the book: When the Rembrandt painting "The Night Watch" was restored and returned to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the curators performed a simple yet remarkable experiment. They asked visitors to submit questions about the painting. The curators then prepared answers to over fifty questions according to popularity... In a room next to the gallery which held the painting, the curators papered the walls with these questions (and answers). Visitors had to pass through this room before entering the gallery. The curious outcome was that the average length of time people spent viewing the [...]