The Jefferson Fisher Podcast
Charles Duhigg: Asking Questions That Build Instant Connection
25 Mar 2025
Ever feel like you’re talking but not really connecting? Or maybe you’re in a conversation, and you know the other person is just waiting for their turn to talk? Well, today’s episode is about to change that. I’m sitting down with Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Supercommunicators, to talk about what the best communicators do differently. And here’s the kicker: it’s not about being the most persuasive—it’s about knowing how to ask the right questions. Like what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Order my new book, The Next Conversation, or listen to the full audiobook today. Meet me on my book tour! Suggest a topic or ask a question for me to answer on the show! Want a FREE communication tip each week? Click here to join my newsletter. Join My School of Communication Watch my podcast on YouTube Follow me on Instagram Follow me on TikTok Follow me on LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Welcome to the Jefferson Fisher Podcast, where I'm on a mission to make your next conversation the one that changes everything. If you enjoy learning tools to improve your communication, I'm going to ask you to please follow this podcast. And if you would, leave a review or a like or a star. It really matters and it means a lot to me and I look at it all.
So if you have any topic suggestions, just throw them in the comments. My new book, The Next Conversation is officially out. You can find the links down in the show notes. This is a book that's going to give you not just what to say, but how to say it and give you tools immediately to help give you the power to change everything about your life simply by what you say next. I'm really proud of it.
Everything's going well and I'm excited to share it with you. Also, if you're wanting to continue to practice your new communication skills, I'm going to encourage you to go to the Jefferson Fisher School of Communication, where a lot of exciting things are happening. I have a whole library of resources. I have an AI that can help answer texts and emails for you from that difficult coworker.
And on top of that, we have live classes and a whole lot of fun. You can also find that link down in the show notes. If you've ever wondered how the great communicators become great communicators, well, you're in for a treat on this episode. Today, we're hearing from Charles Duhigg. This guy is not only a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, he is an amazing author and somebody I am actually...
geeking over to talk to about is somebody who loves communication because he has a book out that is called Super Communicators. And I just can't wait to get into it and talk about it. He's a dad of two, I believe. And I know you're over in California. Charles, thanks for coming on. Thank you for having me. This is such a treat. Yeah, it has been so cool.
As soon as your book came out, I immediately ran and got it because I just don't find that there's that many resources on communication. I want to make sure that I hit this question that stuck out with me in the book, and is that the most persuasive people don't argue their point. They ask great questions.
And if I could write that down and put it on my mirror every day, that's exactly what I would do. Can you tell us more about what that means to you and how people can, people listening to it right now, how can they apply it in their every day from the kitchen to the living room to their workplace, asking great questions?
No, what's really interesting is when researchers started sort of identifying these folks that we call consistent super communicators, because we're all super communicators at one time or another, but some people can essentially kind of connect with anyone. The number one behavior that they found was that these people tended to ask 10 to 20 times as many questions as the average person.
And what's interesting, though, is, and we all know people like this, some of the questions you don't even register as questions. They'll say things like, oh, what'd you think about that? Or what'd you say next? It's these little, essentially, invitations to share with them. But then some of the questions that they are very comfortable asking are what are known as deep questions.
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