Why great thinkers ask divergent questions | Natalie Nixon

Asking the wrong questions can hold you back. @NatalieNixon explains how to ask divergent questions to become a great thinker.

Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions in order to foster innovation and creativity. She believes that inquiry and curiosity are crucial for driving innovation, as they can bridge information gaps and encourage expansive thinking. 

Nixon introduces the "Taxonomy of Questions," which includes divergent questions ("Why?", "What if...?", "I wonder...?") that promote big picture thinking, and convergent questions ("What?", "Where?", "When?") that provide tactical guidance. To thrive in an ambiguous world, we need to balance both types of questions, embracing creativity as a uniquely human trait that sets us apart from technology and automation. 

Nixon suggests becoming "clumsy students" of something new in order to build confidence in asking questions and seeking help. By practicing this discipline of inquiry, we can develop our ability to think differently and drive innovation.

0:00 Asking better questions
1:11 Inquire and be curious
1:47 Two types of questions: Divergent & convergent
2:30 Creative questions = surviving automation
3:39 How to practice better questions

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About Natalie Nixon:
Dr. Natalie Nixon is the Creativity Whisperer to the C-Suite, helping leaders achieve transformative business results by applying wonder, rigor, and foresight. A magnetic keynote speaker, Nixon shares why creativity is not a “nice to have” but a “must have” and leaves audiences with practical techniques to upgrade their organizational and individual creative capacity in the midst of ubiquitous technology and hybrid work environments — always with an eye on innovation and the future of work. Marketing guru Seth Godin has said that Nixon “can help you get unstuck and unlock the work you were born to do.”

As CEO & Creativity Strategist at Figure 8 Thinking, Nixon is a highly sought after global keynote speaker & advisor, author of the award-winning book The Creativity Leap and editor of Strategic Design Thinking. Real Leaders named her one of the "Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World," and her clients have included Google, Salesforce, META, New Balance, and Deloitte. Profiles on Nixon as well as her writing have been featured in Forbes, INC, and Fast Company. She earned her B.A. from Vassar College and her Ph.D. from the University of Westminster in London.

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Want more Big Think?

[bigthink]

What's your advice on how to ask better questions?

[straightuntotruth]

The way to develop your intellect:
1). Don’t take ANYTHING for granted.
2). Question EVERYTHING.

[apple]

Idk how to make others passionate about learning and embrace their curiosity, but I’m so happy that I value these traits so highly.

[timshipp]

Listening is equally important. A dying art, for sure.

[tawanda]

My understanding of this video is, inasmuch as we ask QTNs that are specific to our needs, we should also ask further QTNs that allow for a wider scope of responses.

A wider scope of answers means a greater platform to be creative with the responses we get. So we improve asking QTNs by asking QTNs that are not necessarily focussed on the specific thing/item that you want to know about. We are encouraged to ask other QTNs that surround the main subject.

[cameron]

Asking the same question(s) several times, to different groups of people would help, too.

[kariannecrysler]

I enjoy the physical aspect of learning because it forces you to use your brain “in body”. You can get lost in thoughts. By focusing those thoughts on your body’s intentional movements, for a specific purpose, can help balance the mind & body. I often find myself thinking broader after doing this, so it’s a great tool in overcoming roadblocks in your thoughts.

[DtodaJ]

In a world where AI may dominate many aspects of life, this is probably a really well-timed video 👀

[sasha_nivar]

Everything about this video resonated with me, from being curious, to the deep observation in dancing, and asking questions as a type of thinking!

[Yaxoi]

I like how "What is Alaska?" is featured as an example of a well asked question (presumably)

[avonsternen]

Listening is at least as important as questioning to the extent that insight seeds progress.

[bountyhunter]

In the spirit of asking questions,

Why are so many people hating on the video?

I didn't find anything wrong with the form or content, I wonder what I missed.

I'd be interested to hear from people with a different viewpoint.

[baronhelmut]

Creativity is only useful if your analytical skill can keep up. An analytical thinker can still copy others to derive the best solution. But a creative thinker can only get so far. Hence why a combination of an analytical thinker and creative thinker is the optimal person for innovation. Lets call it the creative-analytical thinker.

[ReflectionOcean]

divergent questions (e.g., "Why?" "What if?") expand thinking
convergent questions (e.g., "What?" "Where?" "When?") are more tactical

be a "clumsy student" of something new to build confidence in asking questions and to enhance creative thinking

[duckbizniz]

Another helpful video by Big Think. Of course, it is easy to say we must innovate, we must be creative, ... It is very difficult to innovate or be creative. To innovate or to think creatively is the challenge.

[mraarontorres]

Question.
Ing everything is natural for me.The problem is everybody's authoritarian and doesn't like being questioned

[mariazamora]

In my perspective what makes us human is the capacity to feel. Feelings have the power the power to transform the intangible into tangible. Creativity requires imagination and the capacity to feel. Curiosity requires passion, interest in learning, thirst for learning, think deep and you ask so many questions and you investigate, you have a creative curiosity of the process in order to understand how to apply the knowledge in a creative way, in order to apply creative solutions, etc.
It’s a beautiful dance between imagination, creativity, emotions and analytical, systems thinking. A beautiful dance between right and left side of our brains and the engine is the heart. Beautiful dance between heart and brain, makes art, beauty, intangible into tangible.

[kebonsawit]

I was still did'nt understand what's she talked about...? Any one could make it simple..?

[theuglykwan]

I'm guessing she counts Kamala Harris among her students? It was like an informercial that keeps teasing but never gives you anything.

[curlyfrys]

thought i was alone in this, thank you!