Doors and keys
The keys dangled in his pocket.
Standing there in the passageway he pulled out his keys.
Unfamiliar, but the process was familiar.
A key represents a question.
The door represents the right of passage to a new world.
That's how I view the world.
As I meet new people, I take out my set of keys to see which will unlock the portal to a new dimension.
I see people as mansions with lots of rooms.
Rooms filled with all sorts of stories and thoughts.
However, these rooms are locked.
Only the right key will allow me to gain access to new knowledge as I explore the residence of the mind.
If you think about it, doors serve as barriers, gateways, and thresholds.
Like people, they are guarded, giving access to the right mechanism.
That mechanism are keys which represents access, security, and control.
I live by the metaphor that doors are the gateway to new worlds and the right question are the keys to unlocking those doors.
Doors are portals towards better perspective.
Keys are control just as question are.
I was taught growing up the person who ask the question has the most control.
People love to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.
There are all types of questions to ask to gain further access to someone, whether that's in the workplace or your personal life.
We’ll explore the two types of keys to unlock better perspective.
Closed questions:
Closed questions have two answers depending on how you phrase it: “yes” or “no” or “true” or “false.”
By using this type of question you unlock knowledge on a topic.
For example, here are some closed questions:
Did you see Mark today?
Did you pick up John from school?
Do you want me to call you later?
Open question:
Open questions are the opposite of closed questions.
They unlock more of a lengthier response and give more details to what you're asking.
Examples of open questions:
What is the best way to learn about cooking?
If today was an animal, how would you describe it?
What was the one book that made the most impact on you?
There are endless possibilities to unlocking a door.
Next time you interact with someone ask them an open question and see what you unlock.