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Brain Food Wednesday: How to Craft Questions to Get More from Books?
Dear Reader,
In this week’s newsletter, the 141st issue, I’m writing about how to craft questions to get more from books. There are three key reasons for reading any book: entertainment, information, or to become more knowledgeable on a topic. Crafting questions is especially important when you’re reading for information or to increase your knowledge of a topic.
When you’re reading with questions in mind, the process is simple: stop and think about what you’re trying to learn from the text, and then turn that question into a query that will help you find the answer. To do this effectively, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, it’s important to be as specific as possible in crafting your question. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to find an answer. For example, if you’re trying to learn about the history of the American Revolution, a good question might be, “What caused the American Revolution?” This is much more specific than simply asking, “What is the American Revolution?”
Second, it’s important to think about what type of information you’re looking for. There are three main types of information: factual, conceptual, and interpretive.
Below, you’ll find the article I wrote, and I hope you find it helpful.
Ask Avil
How to Craft Questions to Get More from Books?
Mostly, when professionals read nonfiction books, they either struggle to solve problems or answer questions. You know the problem you’re facing. And you also know the questions that you want the book to answer. But what about what you don’t know? It’s often been said that you don’t know what you don’t know. How do you craft those types of important questions?
You’ll be able to craft these types of questions after you’ve previewed the book. The best place to start is by reading a summary of the book you plan to read. This allows you to understand the lay of the land, so to speak. These days, many of the nonfiction books I read are for my membership site, Art of Learning Leadership Academy. Based on the template I created for the Bookish Notes for subscribers, there are specific questions I want answered, such as the big ideas, insights, key takeaways and so on.
When you’re looking for answers in books, it’s important to craft your questions carefully. If you’re too vague, you won’t get the information you need. But if you’re too specific, you may not find what you’re looking for. Here are some tips on how to ask questions that will get you the answers you need from books:
- Start by thinking about what kind of information you’re looking for. Do you need a general overview of a topic? Or are you looking for something specific?
- Once you know what kind of information you need, formulate your question accordingly. Be as specific as possible while still keeping it broad enough that there’s room for the book to provide answers.
- Try to craft your questions, so they are easy for the book to answer. For example, instead of asking “What are the effects of global warming?” try something like “What are some consequences of climate change?”
- If you’re still having trouble, try starting with a keyword or phrase that best describes what you’re looking for.
Then there are other questions that are based on the book itself. This means you have to read the following sections. And you’ll also flip through the book to look at images and keywords.
- Preface
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Table of Contents
- Index
- Front and back sections of the book, if it has a jacket.
You can also read the book’s description. However, I must caution you because copywriters write book descriptions, so their goal is to sell books. There have been several incidents where the book descriptions didn’t reflect the content of the books I wanted to read. And I found that very frustrating.
After you’ve previewed the book, you’ll be able to craft additional questions that you want the book to answer.
Join my membership site, Art of Learning Leadership Academy, at an introductory price as we build out the content on the site. Be one of the founding members.
Art of Learning Leadership Academy Membership Site
Until Next Week,
Avil Beckford, Founder, The Invisible Mentor