The F+A Way: Be Curious

In the search for the best solutions, challenge and question what you don’t understand. Don’t accept anything at “face value” if it doesn’t make sense to you. Be curious, ask thoughtful questions, and listen intently to the answers. Dig deeper to go beyond the expected. Ask the extra question.

We’ve all heard the phrase “There are no stupid questions” before, and I’m sure you have been in a situation where you suspect the speaker didn’t really mean it. But I’m also sure you have asked the question anyway – and been pleasantly surprised when someone else chimed in that they were wondering the same thing.

There is always value in clarifying expectations. As professional communicators, we know that. Yet, it’s easy to let other factors get in the way of resolving confusion. For me, I know the fear of looking unexperienced or like I wasn’t paying attention has stopped me from being curious before, only for it to come back and bite me later.

Sometimes it’s not just about asking a simple clarifying question, but rather confronting something that doesn’t make sense or sound right to you. This can be doubly challenging if everyone else agrees. While we may be nervous about coming off confrontational, changing your perspective from “I seem to be the only one confused here, I shouldn’t question what no one else is doubting,” to “This is an opportunity to expand the conversation and maybe bring up a new perspective,” can be extremely helpful to productive conversations.

I think we’re all naturally curious people, and the nature of our work makes us continual learners. From hopping between an ad campaign for a team of attorneys, to drafting up messaging for a food and beverage client, we collect tidbits of knowledge across a variety of sectors.

Exploring new ideas or territories can sometimes feel daunting. It’s not a great feeling to know nothing about a subject, but it is a good exercise in stretching our curiosity to learn valuable skills in listening and applying knowledge across disciplines or contexts.

It’s essential to cultivate bravery and mindfulness alongside curiosity to ensure we make the most of every opportunity to get the facts and expand our understanding.

Each week, the F+A team gathers to discuss The F+A Way: our defined cultural fundamentals and touchstones that help us best serve our clients. We take turns sharing our thoughts on the key principles that define us, asking questions to spark conversation.