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Questions Trainers Ask

Questions of Clarification
• What do you mean when you say ____?
• What is your main point?
• How does ____ relate to ____?
• Could you put that another way?
• Let me see if I understand you; do you mean ______ or ______?
• How does this relate to our problem/discussion/issue?
• Jane, can you summarize in your own words what Richard said? Richard, is that what you meant?
• Could you give me an example?
• Would ______ be a good example of that?

Questions that probe assumptions
• What are you assuming here?
• What is Jenny assuming?
• What could we assume instead?
• You seem to be assuming ______. Do I understand you correctly?
• All of your reasoning depends on the idea that ______. Why have you based your reasoning on ______ instead of ______?
• You seem to be assuming ______. How do you justify taking that for granted?
• Is that always the case? Why do you think the assumption holds here?
• Why would someone make that assumption?

Questions that probe reasons and evidence
• Could you explain your reasons to us?
• How does that apply to this case?
• Is there a reason to doubt that evidence?
• Who is in a position to know that is true?
• What would you say to someone who said that ______?
• Can someone else give evidence to support that conclusion?
• How could we find out if that is true?

Seth FiegermanSep 25, 2012

Here’s a question you may not hear at all in 2017: “Did you get my fax?”

LinkedIn surveyed more than 7,000 global professionals about which tools and trends will disappear from offices in the next five years and which will become even more common. Nearly three quarters of those surveyed said they expected fax machines to disappear, making it the second most likely office technology to go extinct behind tape recorders.

Other once common office tools like the Rolodex, desk phones and even desktop computers ranked high on the list of items likely to become obsolete in the workplace. Meanwhile, more than half of professionals surveyed (55%) believe that tablets will become increasingly common in the office, the most of any technology on the list. Laptops also ranked high, with 34% of those surveyed predicting it would become more common.

The survey is just the latest example that workplaces are gradually abandoning analog technologies for digital. Those in the workforce will need to adapt to these changes or else risk having technological skills that are obsolete as well.

While it’s unlikely many workers will mourn the loss of the fax machine, some may be more nostalgic for other vanishing fixtures of office life like the Rolodex or business cards (which ranked 12th on the list.)

Here are the top 10 office tools and trends that professionals think will vanish in the next five years:

1. Tape recorders (79 percent)
2. Fax machines (71 percent)
3. The Rolodex (58 percent)
4. Standard working hours (57 percent)
5. Desk phones (35 percent)
6. Desktop computers (34 percent)
7. Formal business attire like suits, ties, pantyhose, etc. (27 percent)
8. The corner office for managers/executives (21 percent)
9. Cubicles (19 percent)
10. USB thumb drives (17 percent)

I am looking for ideas for posts to this forum.

If you have a topic to suggest or information to share, please post your thoughts.  I will do my best to add to the discussion with information and ideas.