Folks in Medical Affairs are always talking about how good insights include the why. But how can MSLs actually uncover the why behind HCPs’ beliefs/thoughts/motivations without being annoying? One trick is to learn how to ask why without actually asking why. Keep reading for example questions you can use.

Uncovering the Why is Really Challenging

Yes, great insights include the why. It helps Medical leadership and the company make better decisions. But it’s not easy to do. Think about all the steps and time that goes into it:

1. The MSL has to build the relationship. This alone is hard and can take months.

2. Then they have to build enough trust to get the HCP open to sharing.

3. From there, the MSL has to figure out how to draw the why out of them. But then this risks the possibility of coming off as annoying or like a little kid who just asks why repeatedly.

Being able to ask why in a not annoying, non-interrogative way is critical. Especially if all the work to build the trust has already been done. So how can an MSL ask why without actually asking why?

This is where a set of neutral, open-ended questions comes in. How questions are asked can make a huge difference in the conversation dynamics.

How To Ask Why Without Actually Asking Why

Sometimes when we ask “why?” it evokes defensiveness and makes people feel like they need to defend themselves. One way to ask why without actually asking why is to use carefully worded questions in a neutral tone. This makes the conversation feel friendly and open.

Here are 4 ways MSLs can start to uncover the why without actually asking why. For even more suggestions, download the How To Ask Why Without Actually Asking Why Cheat Sheet.

• “What led to this conclusion?”
• “Could you elaborate on the thought process behind…”
• “Can you shed some light on the factors that contributed to…”
• “I’d love to hear your insights on…”

For example, after presenting new clinical data and the HCP says, “It’s interesting.” This is definitely worth exploring more but you don’t want to say, “Why?” Instead you could ask, “Could you elaborate on the factors that make this data interesting to you?”

For even more questions check out the 23 questions for MSLs in 2023 download.

Conclusions: How to ask why without actually asking why

Everyone wants MSLs to capture the why behind HCPs’ thoughts and motivations for a good reason: when you understand the why you can make better decisions. But uncovering the why without being annoying or interrogative isn’t always easy. That’s where having a set of go-to open-ended questions is helpful.

Next time you are in a situation where you need to dig deeper to uncover the why, pull out one of these questions from your back pocket.

Use the form above to download the How To Ask Why Without Actually Asking Why Cheat Sheet.

For even more questions check out the 23 questions for MSLs in 2023 download.