Share

Life and Lessons by Sean Spooner
E69: Elke Wiss on Asking Better Questions and Getting Better Answers
On this week’s episode, you’re going to hear a conversation I had with Elke Wiss.
Elke is a practical philosopher and a best-selling author.
Her book, How To Know Everything, offers a framework for asking better questions and makes the case for why we should all improve our question-asking skills.
In the next hour, you’re going to learn:
- The six fundamental errors we all make when it comes to effective question asking, and how to avoid them
- Why creating detachment between your opinions and your identity can help you not only ask better questions, but become a better conversationalist
- Why we shouldn’t look to formal education, politics, journalism, or police interview techniques to sharpen our ability to ask precise questions
- The reason it’s so important to ask YOURSELF better questions, and a really practical exercise you can make use of to do just that.
And so much more.
This was always going to be an interesting one, sitting down and asking questions to somebody who is, to all intents and purposes, a professional question asker.
But I learned a lot from Elke around a subject that is grossly undervalued, and yet one that holds huge upside if only we get it right.
I’m sure you’re going to learn a lot as well.
Elke Wiss
How To Know Everything on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Know-Everything-questions-answers/dp/1787467686
Online: https://www.denksmederij.nl/
Follow Sean Spooner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spoonersean/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spoonersean
Join My Newsletter: https://seanspooner.co.uk/email
Patter: https://patter.co.uk/
Make sure that you're subscribed to Life and Lessons on whatever platform you use for podcasts.
More episodes
View all episodes

209. E209: I Turn 30 Today, These 16 Lessons Shaped My 20s
01:30:56||Season 1, Ep. 209Today, I turn 30. After 7 years of sharing the life lessons I wish I knew sooner on the internet, I feel fairly qualified to reflect on how to live a better life in your twenties. In this episode of Life and Lessons, I reflect on the past decade of life, and share the 16 lessons I needed to know in my 20s. They can change your life.
208. E208: Am I Struggling?
18:06||Season 1, Ep. 208On this unexpected episode of Life and Lessons, I have you an update on what's been going on in life recently, and try to answer a question I've had a lot recent: am I doing okay?
207. E207: Progress Just Kind of... Happens
18:27||Season 1, Ep. 207On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I tell you about a session I'm planning for students that might change the way they look at productivity forever, and I explain how progress just kind of... happens.
206. E206: 100 Days to Q4, Bias Towards Action, Building a Lucky Life
24:10||Season 1, Ep. 206On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I encourage you to have a bias towards action, I speak about how to make the most of the next 100 days, and I explain how to build luck into your life.
205. E205: The Life You Want is 45 Minutes Away, People Want You To Win, You Need To Draw a Line in the Sand
22:39||Season 1, Ep. 205On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I ask the question have things really been that bad for me this year, I explore the idea that you need to be the person to draw a line in the sand, and I discuss why you're life is never more than 45 mins away from changing.
204. E204: Talking in Paris, Visiting Parliament, and The Power of Doing Things Often Enough
20:18||Season 1, Ep. 204On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I tell you about my big talk in Paris, about visiting parliament for PMQs, and I explain why doing anything often enough makes you good.
203. E203: A Phone Call That Ruined My Month, and You Don't Need to Seek Answers
17:39||Season 1, Ep. 203On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I explain where I've been for the past few weeks and why I disappeared, and I discuss an important mindset on not always needing to close feedback loops. Download a list of the 20 books that transformed my 20s: https://seanspooner.co.uk/books/
202. E202: A Mindset to Make Hard Things Easier, and Finding The Root Cause of Your Problems
15:52||Season 1, Ep. 202Download a list of the 20 books that transformed my 20s: https://seanspooner.co.uk/books/On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I share a mindset that is helping me make difficult things more enjoyable, and I encourage you to question if you've found the root cause of your problems.
201. E201: Why You'll Win 2025 One Week at a Time
18:52||Season 1, Ep. 201Download a list of the 20 books that transformed my 20s: https://seanspooner.co.uk/books/ On this week's episode of Life and Lessons, I explain why you're going to win 2025 one week at a time, and I discuss a new mindset I have towards fixing small, hardly noticeable issues in life.