We learn, connect, and invent, solve mysteries, break down barriers, hold others accountable, ponder our purpose, and live generously through the questions we ask.

“Smart questions make smarter people,” attests an expert on thoughtful and fruitful inquiry, Frank Sesno. “But the fact is, most of us don’t really understand how questions work—or how to make them work for us. In school we study math and science, literature and history. At work we learn about outcomes and metrics, profit and loss. But never do we study how to ask questions strategically, how to listen actively, or how to use questions as a powerful tool toward accomplishing what we really want to achieve.”

Sesno fills that knowledge gap with ASK MORE: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change (AMACOM; January 10, 2017; $25.00 Hardcover). A former CNN anchor, White House Correspondent, and currently director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, Sesno offers insights, inspiration, and guidance on asking questions with intention and confidence, listening deeply with an ear for nuance, and getting interesting, illuminating, meaningful, and productive answers.

“Sincere questions too often play second fiddle to certainty, ideology, and outrage,” Sesno notes, due to our search-engine-fueled appetites for fast answers and social-media- spurred rushes to judgment. Through stories of remarkable people who use questions to motivate and excel, ASK MORE makes a compelling case for developing the discipline and embracing the practice of assuming less, asserting less, and asking more.