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“Can I Ask You Something?”: The Risky Power of Personal Questions

“Can I Ask You Something?”: The Risky Power of Personal Questions

by Paul Quinn | Jan 10, 2026 | Asking - Relationships, Communication Skills, Relationships

When could asking personal questions come across as nosy and intrusive … and when could it take conversations into richer territory? Nobody wants to ask questions that could upset or offend a conversational partner. But because we don’t always know what...
Are We All Becoming the Kids on the Bench?

Are We All Becoming the Kids on the Bench?

by Paul Quinn | Jul 1, 2025 | Asking - Relationships, Human Behavior, Personal Development, Relationships

Can taking time to ask personal questions enrich our relationships—whether with friends, neighbors, family members, romantic partners, coworkers, or strangers in passing? That’s one of the questions I pose in my book, The Big Ask. But the bigger question, the...
Asking Forgiveness: Is Your Apology Empty or Effective?

Asking Forgiveness: Is Your Apology Empty or Effective?

by Paul Quinn | Feb 11, 2025 | Asking - Relationships, Asking - Workplace, Communication Skills, Handling Conflicts, Personal Development

Oh, the possibilities are horrible. And endless. Your attempt at humor backfires and you’re marked as an insensitive jerk. Someone you love catches you in a lie that hurts them and erodes their trust in you. You accidentally text “Just between us, I think Sam is...
Is it Hard to Ask the One You Love?

Is it Hard to Ask the One You Love?

by Paul Quinn | Aug 8, 2023 | Asking - Relationships, Communication Skills, Human Behavior

From dating to mating and beyond, many people find it difficult to ask their partners for what they want. I asked Rachel Sussman, LCSW, to shed some light on this topic. She is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert, writer and lecturer. Rachel is the founder...
Holocaust Memory: The Ask That Changed Everything

Holocaust Memory: The Ask That Changed Everything

by Paul Quinn | Mar 30, 2023 | Asking - Empowerment, Asking - Relationships, Uncategorized

In her earliest memory of life in Poland, Ida Paluch was three years old when she, her twin brother, Adam, and older sister, Gienia, witnessed a woman, mad with fear, jump from a building to her death to escape forced relocation and inevitable murder by the Nazis. The...
A Gift of Cranes

A Gift of Cranes

by Paul Quinn | Jan 22, 2023 | Asking - Health, Asking - Relationships, Healthcare

Suffering the effects of a major illness can feel scary and isolating. Getting through it takes not only medical assistance but emotional support. In the story that follows, my friend David Fisk tells of four “asks” that loved ones made on his behalf...
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Recent Posts

  • Making a Monster: The Big Ask Audiobook
  • “Can I Ask You Something?”: The Risky Power of Personal Questions
  • Trapped by a Bore? Four Ways To Freedom!
  • Are We All Becoming the Kids on the Bench?
  • Should You Beg for What You Want?

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