Asking the Right Questions to Get the Right Answers

Three people in business attire sit around a table in a modern office, engaged in a discussion, with city buildings visible through the window.

– Asking the right question is at the heart of effective communications

The Science of Asking: Crafting Questions for Optimal Answers

We all ask and answer questions daily. But how often do we deliberately and consciously consider the questions that we ask before we ask them?

Questioning is a technique often used at workplace as an alternative to presenting information and answers. Questioning is about asking the individual or group you’re working with a question, or series of questions, to enable them to find their own solutions to the challenges they face.

Ability to solicit accurate and relevant information in short time is a great skill. Effective questioning will lead to the other person opening up and share more information. Ability to ask question clearly helps ensure flow of useful information and encourage pointed discussion.

For example, you can gather better information and learn more, you can establish stronger relationships, and manage people more effectively.

This highly interactive training class, will help you develop the tools you need to uncover the needs or insights before you try to engage the person. We will lead you through a step-by-step process to help you cultivate effective skills and strategies for asking the right questions in the right way at the right time, so that you can develop an understanding of the other person to ensure greater success in enquiry, sales, coaching, managing of others and building greater relationship

Learning Outcome
  • Enhancing interpersonal relationships
  • Improves Communication Skills
  • Avoid making wrong decisions
  • Ask great questions in structured manners
  • Keep the conversation going
  • Problem Solving
  • Encouraging Good Discussions
Course Outline
  • Acquire the art of asking rather than telling
  • Attitude in Asking
  • What makes a good question, and why
  • Diagnostic Questions – Something’s not right
  • Good Questions for Many Situations
  • What are Strategic Questions?
  • Attributes of a good questioner
  • Framing powerful questions
  • How to ask open-ended and closed-ended questions.
  • How to ask 5Wand 1H questions
  • Crucial nonverbal aspects of asking questions
  • How to ask questions others will enjoy answering.
Who Should Attend

This Course Is for YOU if:

  • You want to acquire the skills of professionals like doctors, lawyers,
  • journalists and salesmen
  • You want to stimulate learning.
  • You want to improve speaking and listening skills.
  • You want to spur the exchange of ideas.
  • You want to acquire a healthy respect for other peoples’ opinions.
  • You want to fuel innovation and performance improvement.
  • You want to build rapport and trust among team members.
  • You want to hone your questioning skills!
Testimonials

“ I’m glad to know of and engaged Maximus-the Xcellent Coach, whom is one of, if not, the most professional, enthusiastic coach whom shared a strong passion towards his role of bringing the best out of every individual. There was never a dull moment during his training session with his highly engaging training style and well balanced trainer/trainee exchanges approach. He continuously engages trainee to go through critical thinking by triggering the right questions, allows trainee to discover his/her potential with his coaching technique and always have the willingness imparting trainee with his wealth of knowledge.
I really enjoyed my time during the group training and individual coaching session had with Max.
Would highly recommend fellow professionals whom looking to further excel in work & life, to engage Maximus – the Xcellent Coach! “ – Lucas Yeap (GM)

Maximus was assigned to cover some topics with our company as a trainer. He was more of a facilitator, taking a more dynamic approach to sharing his knowledge through interaction with and amongst the attendees. I have also had the chance to receive some coaching sessions from him and it allowed me to know myself better. He respects all opinions, listens attentively, and is able to provide insightful comments which are thought-provoking and guides us to grow as a person. His sessions are truly enjoyable and there is always something to take away. Don’t take my word for it, attend his sessions yourself.
Thank you Maximus! – David Goh

Maximus – a Trainer here with us with great knowledge. His training skills are great, all of us are able to understand his teaching and are able to take lots of understanding and value from his teachings as well. With his excellent coaching skill, I would strongly recommend Maximus. – Eugene Tan (Admin Manager)

I have attended countless seminars and courses throughout my professional and personal life. Maximus is definitely one of the very few trainers who has vast knowledge in the subject matter as well as the extraordinary ability to ensure the attendees are completely engaged from start to end of the session. I truly enjoyed being Maximus’s student. – Satish Shanmugam (Project Director)

Trainer's Profile

 

Man with glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a gray vest over a white shirt. his hair is styled upward.

Maximus Sia
Leadership Psychology Coach

“Gain the Psychology Advantage” – Lead from the INSIDE-OUT

As a Leadership Psychology Coach, Maximus Sia drives the following mission:

“To help leaders gain the Psychology Advantage in Leadership, cultivate Inner Clarity, build Mental Immunity, and develop the Psychological Capabilities to lead decisively and confidently in any conditions.”

Over the past 16 years, Maximus has engaged more than 50,000 leaders across Asia, from SMEs to global organisations, facilitating leadership workshops, seminars and executive development programmes for professionals, managers, directors and senior executives. With over 35 years of leadership experience, he has evolved into a seasoned Corporate Trainer, Master Practitioner in NLP, Public Speaker and Leadership Psychology Coach.

Gain the Psychology Advantage in Leadership

Through years of engaging with leaders, Maximus observed that today’s workplace has become increasingly complex and psychologically demanding. He believes the greatest challenge facing modern leaders is no longer a skills gap — it is a psychological capability gap.

“Psychological challenges require psychological capabilities.”

This conviction inspired him to develop The Psychology Advantage™ in Leadership, an evidence-informed framework that integrates psychology into leadership development to build resilient, adaptive and psychologically capable leaders. To further advance this work, Maximus is pursuing a doctoral research paper on this subject, with a PhD in Professional Coaching and Human Development at the International University of Professional Studies (IUPS, USA). Maximus advocates the integration of psychology as a core pillar of modern leadership development.

Clientele

Singapore Airlines, Applied Materials, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and its agencies, A*STAR, Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX), MINDEF, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Yamato Transport, Singtel, OCBC, AIA Singapore, and many others.

SG60 Showcase

In celebration of Singapore’s 60th year of independence in 2025, NewInAsia Singapore recognised Maximus Sia as one of 60 distinguished speakers and trainers featured in the SG60 Independence Showcase publication.

Professional Profile

Maximus is professionally certified as:

  • International Associate Coach (ICI Germany)
  • Neuro-Linguistic Enneagram Practitioner (IEA)
  • NLP Master Practitioner (American Board of NLP)
  • Master of Science in International Marketing (MScIM), University of Strathclyde, UK

As a Sales Coach with over 35 years of sales leadership and coaching experience, Maximus previously built a successful career in the Financial Advisory industry spanning over 16 years, where he was consistently recognised as a top performer, multiple award winner, and global convention qualifier.

He is also an SSG DACE and ACTA-certified facilitator, having delivered more than 100 SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) WSQ modules in leadership, people management, service excellence, and professional development.