I’ve always been fascinated by questions and more so, recently, as I have been actively observing what differentiates a good question from a great one.  The Power of Questions.

It’s not as easy as you might think.  Every single word conveys a meaning.  Replacing a single word could radically change the answer that it evokes.  Interesting, isn’t it?

NLP Presupposition: The meaning of communication is the response you get.

If you didn’t get the results that you were looking for, then ask a different question.

In a negotiation situation, the person who asks the question is the one in control.  Did you know that?  I realize this is counterintuitive but absolutely true.  Give it a try and observe the control that you wield when you are asking the question.  (There is even more control when you intently listen to the answer.)

Here’s a specific opportunity to ask, when faced with the decision of whether to apply for Employment Insurance benefits or not.  Everyone knows that when you voluntarily leave your job you aren’t entitled to benefits, right?  Not always.  It is better to apply within 30 days of leaving your job and ask for benefits.  Why?  According to the Employment Insurance Act, specifically paragraph 29 (c), there are a whole host of reasons that still qualify you for EI benefits.  And unless you have these reasons memorized, you won’t know unless you ask.  Simply apply for benefits immediately and if it is determined that you are entitled to benefits, you won’t lose access to benefits for being late in applying.

I know you are wondering what the exceptions might be, aren’t you?  The terminology is “just cause” for voluntarily leaving, and a few of these include:

• Obligation to accompany a spouse, common-law partner or dependent child to another residence
• Obligation to care for a child or a member of the immediate family
• Reasonable assurance of another employment in the immediate future
• Significant modification of terms and conditions respecting wages or salary
• Significant changes in work duties

There is a secondary test which is, considering all circumstances, no reasonable alternative to leaving.  Take a look at the text for paragraph 29 (c) for the complete list.

The perfect example is the third bullet – reasonable assurance of another employment in the immediate future.  If your new job is to start next month and you leave your current job two weeks earlier to accommodate your transition (and take a bit of a vacation), things might change with the new employer before you actually start the new job.  You can imagine how this situation could happen (although you wouldn’t want to be in this situation, would you?)  Under this scenario, you would be entitled to benefits as voluntary leaving with just cause.  Just ask.  It’s all up to you.