The Art of the Question

Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Cover for National Police Credit Union
Congratulations!! Stay safe!Image attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

Congratulations!! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Thank you for your service, Congratulations and God Bless

Congratulations, Stay Safe

God Bless all First Responders and Military personnel.

Congratulations and stay safe

Congratulations!! Stay safe!

Congratulations!! Stay safe!The Williamsburg Police Department would like to introduce the three newest members of our police department along with the new Williamsburg Chief of police, Chief M. Timmers! Congratulations and welcome to the team! (From Left to Right - Officer Reynolds, Officer Dearing, and Officer Hamiel) ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Congratulations!! Stay safe!

Congratulations!! Stay safe!Welcome to SPD, Class 853!

If you like helping people, and would like to be a part of the fabulous work we do, here's information on how to apply to become a Seattle Police Officer: fal.cn/3wC2A
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Congratulations and stay safe

Thank you NO!

Congratulations lord PLZ keep them safe as they do their jobs 🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙🙏

Congratulations!! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Congratulations!! Praying 🙏 for your safety and security

Congratulations to all of you on supporting your community. It is a very demanding and important career. Stay safe and make sure to express your love for your family as they wait for you to return home safely. I will keep you in my prayers.

Congratulations, Thank you for your service and God Bless

Congratulations. God Bless you and your family's

Congratulations and stay safe

Congratulations!! Stay Safe out there.

Congratulations besafe out there

Congratulations but be aware, wolves. Police walking out quitting for a reason.. Stay close to God, lawlessness.

Congratulations 🎉 and Blessings 🙏

🎉🎉🎉🎉

Congratulations may yall b safe as you do ur jobs 🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙💙💙👍

THANKS HEROES

Good bless each and every law enforcement officer

GOOD LUCK. HOPE YOU MAKE IT TO RETIREMENT !!!!

View more comments

#Heroes

#heroesWhen three LAPD K9 officers were shot last week, LA County Sheriff’s Department did not hesitate to offer their services, by providing their own K-9 unit to help with LAPD K9 callouts.

Two agencies. One county. One goal. Protecting and serving the community.

Thank you Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Go Blue!! Thank you for all you do!!!

Deepest Sympathy to LAPD K9 Officers 💙💙💙 with eternal thanks to LA County Sheriff Dept ❣️ praise and prayers to all of our Law Enforcement Warriors 🙏🏻

This should not be happening and the criminals getting away with it .Pray for our police,Pity these politicians dont show as much respect for these officers as they did george floyd Back The Blue

Sorta hoping for some perps... Eliminated 💥💥💥

Ty

View more comments

Great job! Thank you!Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

Great job! Thank you! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
💙🐾Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

💙🐾 ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Rest in Peace. Thank you for seven years of service, K-9 Indi!

Rest in Peace. Thank you for seven years of service, K-9 Indi!The DeKalb County Police Department is mourning the loss of one of our canines. Retired K-9 Indi served for 7 years, 2013-2020. He served his entire career with his handler, Sgt. N.R. Larsen. During their time together, they gave outstanding service to the police department, the citizens of DeKalb County, and the Metro Atlanta area. #WeAreDKPD ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Rest In Peace and thank you for your service 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🚓🚓🚓

Rip big beautiful boy. Thanks for your service. Go run free. ❤️🙏

So sorry for your loss. RIP

Rest in Peace.Thanks for your service.

Thank you K9 Indi for your service. Fly with the angels sweet pup. Back the Blue 💙

Sorry to hear. Thank you for your service. RIP. prayers to handler and family

Prayers always 🙏 ❤

K9 Indi 💙 RIP and thank you for your service 🙏🏻 prayers for your loved ones left behind

So sorry for your loss. Thank K9 Indi for his service to his community. Condolences to the family and friends

Our condolences 🐾💐

God bless him

Rest in Peace buddy

God bless

Rest In Peace

Rest in Peace K-9 Indi 🐾🐾🐾👮‍♂️💙🖤

So very sorry! RIP HERO!

Rip K9 Indi

Awwwhh, RIP.

INDI, A HERO THAT WAS LOVED💙

RIP

RIP

Rip

RIP 🖤💙

You are beautiful so sorry for his loss

Prayers for him!🇺🇸🙏🌹

View more comments

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐊-𝟗 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞!!!!Image attachment

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐊-𝟗 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞!!!! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Happy birthday

Happy Birthday 🎉🎊🎈

Happy Birthday K-9 Archie

Happy Birthday LEO 🎂🎉n many more 💙💙💙💙💙💙🙏🙏

View more comments

Great job, K-9 Groot!!!! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Thank you for 7 years of service, K-9 Jacquo!!!!Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

Thank you for 7 years of service, K-9 Jacquo!!!! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

AWESOME HAVE A GREAT LIFE OF LEISURE

Awesome! Enjoy your retirement and thank you for your service 👍💙

Beautiful. Happy Retirement. Thank you for your service and God bless you and watch over you

Thank you Officer Jacque stay safe 🇺🇸🙏❤️👮‍♀️🐕

Happy retirement

Thank you for your service K-9 Jacquo. 💙💙💙💙

Enjoy your retirement

♥️♥️♥️

Enjoy ur retirement n thank you for ur service 💙🫡🫡🫡🫡

K9 Officer Jacquo 💙 happy retirement and thank you for your service 💙❣️

View more comments

Thank you, #Heroes!Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

Thank you, #heroes! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
#Heroes 💙🐾Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

#heroes 💙🐾 ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Welcome and thank you! Stay safe!Image attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

Welcome and thank you! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Congrats God plz keep her safe as she does her job 🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙💙💙

Welcome and thank you! Stay safe!Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

Welcome and thank you! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Welcome and thank you! Stay safe!Image attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment

Welcome and thank you! Stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
Welcome and thank you! Stay safe!

Welcome and thank you! Stay safe!Chris Schiller joined the Argonia Police Department as its newest part-time officer! He will serve as the interim Police Chief. Chris currently works as a federal officer in Wichita. Prior to this, he was a Special Agent with the Union Pacific Railroad Police and a law enforcement officer in Oregon. Chris is in the National Guard, serving as a combat medic in Afghanistan in 2014. If you see him, feel free to stop for a conversation! Welcome to Argonia Chris! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Congrats Sir b safe out there as so many thugs don’t respect ur badge 💔💔🥵🥵🥵🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Thank you for 37 years of service! Enjoy retirement!Image attachment

Thank you for 37 years of service! Enjoy retirement! ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Congratulations now go and enjoy you deserve your retirement

Thank you for 24 years of service! Enjoy retirement!

Thank you for 24 years of service! Enjoy retirement!Last Thursday we said goodbye and good luck to Lt. Ryan Kwitkin who served for 24 years as he retired. Ryan worked in Patrol for most of his career, but also worked the tactical patrol team. I say retire, but Ryan is heading to another department out west where he will serve as their Deputy Chief. Ryan we thank you for your service and wish you well as you start your new journey. Keep in touch and check in every now and then. Be safe. ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Thank you for your service.

💙💙

Thank you for your service!! Enjoy retirement!

Thank you for your service!! Enjoy retirement!Today is the last day of the shift rotation and It is also the last time Sergeant Burkhalter will work an entire rotation. He will be retiring in a few months and moving with his family out of state. We are excited for him but also bitter sweet to see my former partner retire. His shift came together today and presented him with a gift to show their appreciation. I’m honored to work with a good group of people. Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of something special. Join our family www.joinmonroviapd.org. Link is also on our profile. We got your six Sergeant Burkhalter 🤘🏽 ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Comment on Facebook

Many MANY thanks to each of you and especially Sergeant Burkhalter 💙 enjoy your retirement Sir 💙

Happy Retirement!!

🙏💙🙏

View more comments

Latest Tweets

ENDING SOON: Our 0% Balance Transfer Promotion ends at close-of-business on Monday, April 3, 2023.
For details, please visit: https://t.co/3rnWY3T1Jv. https://t.co/yKzTYPDbJa
NatlPoliceCU photo
ENDING SOON: Our 0% Balance Transfer Promotion ends soon!
For details, please visit: https://t.co/3rnWY3Tzz3. https://t.co/VoAamYRByZ
NatlPoliceCU photo

The question. Of all forms of human communication, it is perhaps the most difficult to convey properly, the hardest to balance, and possibly the most misunderstood between the parties who are trying to send and receive information.

If you don’t ask a question, you are far less likely to obtain the answer that you seek. If you ask too many questions, people will eventually stop answering you.

If you ask a question at the wrong time, you run the risk of being perceived as nosy or intrusive. If you ask one of the wrong person, you might be labeled as a troublemaker.

If you ask your question with the wrong tone, you may come across as accusatory and if your question indicates that you know the answer, you will immediately arouse suspicion and unnecessarily put the person you are asking on the offensive.

These are just a few of the many examples of things that can go wrong or the unintended consequences you can create with a question that isn’t well balanced and delivered properly. But, questions are an essential part of human interaction and absolutely necessary for educational and information gathering purposes.

With that in mind, here are some guidelines and suggestions that will help you to be an effective asker of questions.

First, your questions must have a purpose. You have no doubt heard that there is no such thing as a dumb question. I disagree, but I understand the point. Every time I have heard someone say that they were trying to encourage people to ask questions. Good concept, but the wrong message. There are dumb questions when they are asked without a purpose.

You can sometimes get lucky and zero in on the purpose or meaning of a conversation on the spot, but you will be much more likely to have a purpose if you have spent some time preparing. A job interview, for example, can provide you with a great opportunity to distinguish yourself with a little advance preparation.

I have conducted many interviews over the years and I can instantly tell the difference between a job candidate who spent some time preparing for the interview and one who did not. Often, that difference is clearly on display when it comes time for the candidate to pose the questions they have. If I get a question regarding the strategy, vision, or purpose of the credit union, I know that I am talking to someone who has assigned some importance to the interview. If someone chooses instead to ask me how many sick days we offer, I know I am talking with someone who is either a. concentrating on the wrong things or b. asking a question purely for the sake of coming up with something, anything.

When you know that you will be in a meeting or an interview, during which you will be asked if you have any questions, take the time upfront to make sure that you have those questions prepared.

Another essential aspect of a good question is the timing of it. If your boss has told you that she is going to assign a project to you, let her explain it in full before you jump in with questions that may likely be answered during her instructions to you. In the same vein, it is equally unacceptable to receive those same instructions and then sit on that information for days before asking any necessary questions you might have.

Questions are a great way to both properly and improperly indicate your priority. If you are talking with your spouse the evening before a busy day and you take that time to fully understand the timeline and the main events of the coming day, you are prioritizing your questions accordingly. If, during that same conversation, you are asking about something that may or may not occur a month out, you are sending the signal that you are not comprehending the importance of the next day or, worse, perhaps signaling to your spouse that you are not all that supportive of the tasks immediately at hand.

Purpose, preparation, timing, and prioritization are all essential aspects of a question that will help get you to where you are going. For the most part, these are all things that you have a large degree of control over and that you can teach yourself through practice.

There is also an aspect of the question, however, that you will likely have to un-teach yourself. You have probably been taught not to question certain things or certain people. Perhaps you have been told not to ask why something is done that way because that is the way it has always been done. You almost certainly have been told, at one time or another, not to ask questions of your teacher, your parents, your boss, a doctor, or a police officer.

In many cases, I think these are the times that it is actually the most necessary to ask a question or even a string of them. The task here is to find an effective way to question an authority without questioning their authority.

Let’s use a doctor’s diagnosis as the example. If you arrive at the Emergency Room with a broken arm, and you know it is broken because part of the bone is protruding through your skin, you probably do not need to waste time seeking a second opinion when the doctor comes in to tell you that your arm is broken. Questions that you may have regarding what the next steps will be are absolutely appropriate at this point and are questions asked of an authority. Questions regarding where the doctor got his medical degree question his authority.

If, however, your doctor diagnoses you with a rare disease or informs you that he thinks you need a certain surgery, it is the ideal time for you to ask questions and possibly seek additional insight. It is the ideal time to learn as much as you possibly can about what you are experiencing, what the alternative remedies might be, how much time it will take for you to heal, and all that is involved with the entire process.

Those are questions for an authority or an expert to address and they cannot address them if you do not ask. You are not questioning his authority in that example, you are posing questions to an authority. If you choose not to ask questions in this scenario, you are doing a disservice to yourself and likely ensuring that you will not be as informed and educated as you need to be to make the best decision possible.

Your boss or your teacher may have a certain level of expertise, but that does not mean they should never be asked appropriate questions and it never means that they know everything there is to know.

When you ask questions with purpose at the appropriate time and they are reflective of the matter at hand, they will almost always be received in the way in which they are meant and effectively and sincerely addressed.

When that occurs, you are mastering the art of the question and you are engaging in purposeful and effective communication.

Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union

Share This Post

Recent Posts

I graduated from college many years ago, 30 to be exact.  I was one of the fortunate few who knew exactly what I wanted to do for a career.  In fact, I knew from the time that I was in middle school that I wanted to work in banking.
When our kids were old enough to prioritize and young enough for my wife and I to exercise our influence over them, we simplified our parenting instructions down to one absolute order.
We have a cat.  His name is Catso.  Although he was named many years ago when our kids were much younger, his name still fits his personality.

GO!

Learn more about Strategies for Investing at the Credit Union’s next Financial Fitness for First Responders, a free online virtual educational seminar created for Law Enforcement Officers and their families. For more information, visit our website.

GO!

Learn more about Strategies for Investing at the Credit Union’s next Financial Fitness for First Responders, a free online virtual educational seminar created for Law Enforcement Officers and their families. For more information, visit our website.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We’d love to add you to our mailing list.