Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #500: The Rhetorical Question Rears its Ugly Head Again

Like Dracula, Godzilla, and Freddie Krueger, the rhetorical question disease is popping up again.  My crusade to kill off weak, obsequious questions and make stronger, more revealing statements, has apparently faltered.  I could give up.  But… no.

Quick review…

It’s all about putting things in Statement form.  Example: Saying “Here’s how to win” instead of asking “Want to know how to win?” like I’m some parrot that has to answer you.  Just tell me what you want me to know.

Here are a few of what I feel are the likely answers to the questions we all get asked:

Would you like to win a new car?
No.  I just love roller skating to work in the rain.

Do you want to play our morning madness trivia game?
No.  I don’t want Siri to think I’m that stupid.

Would you follow us on Facebook?
No.  I’ve only heard you for three minutes.  At this point, I’d actually rather hit myself in the face with a book.

In summary:
Why do people ask rhetorical questions?
And do they expect an answer?
Can you guess how I feel about them?


Tommy Kramer

Tommy has spent over 35 years as an air talent, programmer, operations manager and talent coach - working with over 300 stations in all formats. He publishes the Coaching Tip

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