Sometimes there’s a truly great potential answer to a tough question – just waiting for you to discover it.
As with all truly great answers, it will have a profound message at its heart.
And as with all truly great answers, you’re more likely to unearth it when you do some creatively positive “beyond-the-horizon thinking” as you consider the tough question.
There’s an outstanding example of a truly great answer to a supremely tough question set out on YouTube – with the link to it highlighted further below.
The key question asks to whom – when you only have one spare car seat on a stormy day – do you offer a lift:
A. A potential love of your life who you’ve never met before?
B. A friend who once saved your life?
C. A sick old woman in danger of losing her life?
The person who posted the video reveals that the question – posed as moral and ethical dilemma – was used as part of a cunning job application exercise.
He says the job was ultimately given to the applicant who had no trouble in coming up with a great answer.
The video-maker regards the message behind the story as being in line with that cliché about “Think outside the box”.
But the video describes the essential message far more eloquently and powerfully when it declares – in part:
“Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm… and invent the world they see inside rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas.”
“The limits of the possible,” it declares, “can only be defined by going beyond them.”
It takes 3 minutes for the video to outline the details of the heart-wrenching question; reveal the outstanding winning answer and highlight the creatively positive mindset underpinning it.
You can check out the video here:
I suspect you’ll agree that the answer is clever.
And I suspect you’ll spot that the thinking which led to it is even cleverer.
The answer – and the creatively positive thinking which produced it – is ethical, practical and remarkably positive!
“GIVE GREAT ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS” – THE MASTER CLASS & CONFERENCE KEYNOTE
I don’t know if the un-named applicant who came up with the magnificent answer – and who got the job – had ever attended a “Give Great Answers To Tough Questions” master class or ever witnessed a conference keynote on the topic.
What I can tell you is that when you and/or your colleagues partake in a “Give Great Answers To Tough Questions” session, you step further into the zone of creatively positive “beyond-the-horizon” thinking.
This helps you to effectively – and truthfully – deal with the toughest questions that are being fired at you… or be ready for those blowtorch-on-the-belly questions which are likely to aimed at you in the future!
Whether your toughest questions come from clients, prospects, journalists, officials, job selection panels or others, dealing with them more effectively is a learnable and improvable skill.
In “Give Great Answers To Tough Questions” conference keynotes and master classes you’re equipped with the golden formulae for structuring great answers – and everyone learns how to apply them to their individual professional situations.
Details about “Give Great Answers To Tough Questions” master classes are at:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/give-great-answers-to-tough-questions/
Information about conference keynotes on “Give Great Answers To Tough Questions” – and on other communications-boosting keynote options – are at:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/speaking-at-your-event/
WHAT’S YOUR PREFERENCE???
Stunningly impressive answers to tough questions may sometimes look to observers as though they just popped into the answerer’s head at the right moment.
But truly great answers are far more likely to be the product of creatively positive thinking from answerers who know how to get themselves into the right frame of mind in advance.
What’s easier for you:
A. Thinking up great answers – without any previous forethought – under the pressure of ruthless interrogators, microphones, media lights and cameras?
B. Or happily thinking back to recall those great potential answers that you came up with when you earlier contemplated – with creative positivity – your toughest questions before you were being quizzed in that hot seat?
