A practice for the next moment

Thinking tips

Small ways to pause, ask a better question, and see what else might be true.

Thinking tip

Asking Good Questions

The question sets a direction before the answer exists.

A question does more than ask for information. It frames what you notice and which answers seem possible. Try changing “What should we do?” to “What could we do?” When an AI tool or colleague gives you a confident answer, pause and ask what assumption your question left untouched. Are you solving the right problem? What might change your view?

Try this

Before your next prompt or difficult conversation, write down one assumption inside your question. Then reframe it so the answer could challenge that assumption.

Read: The Most Expensive Mistake in the AI Era →

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Thinking tip

The Letter You Don’t Send

Write the reply. Give yourself time to decide whether it should leave your hands.

Before sending an angry reply, write the letter you want to send. Put down what happened, what you think it means, and what part you may be contributing. Then let it sit. When you come back, you may see another way to understand the situation, or decide the letter does not need to be sent. The pause will not fix every disagreement. It can help you respond with more perspective and less regret, while leaving room to preserve the relationship.

Try this

Write an uncensored first draft, but do not address or send it. Come back later and mark what you know, what you inferred, and what the other person might say. If a reply is still needed, write a second version focused on what you want to change and what should happen next.

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Find an idea in the writing

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AI-generated guidance based on the writing here. Each question is answered independently. Questions and responses are stored to help identify gaps in the writing; do not enter confidential or personal employee information.