Question

Masterclass

Part 2

Cut the Intro and Ask the Question

There’s an Internet meme about the best opening scene in a James
Bond movie.
For some people, it’s Roger Moore skiing off a cliff and then
parachuting away (with a Union Jack–emblazoned parachute,
naturally) in The Spy Who Loved Me.
For others, it’s the more gritty black-and-white moment in
Casino Royale when Daniel Craig gets his 00 accreditation by
notching up his second kill.
My favourite? When Pierce Brosnan bungee-jumps off a
massive dam in GoldenEye.
In any case, you’ll notice a pattern here. No James Bond movie
starts off slowly.
Pow! Within ten seconds you’re into the action, the adrenaline
has jacked and the heart is beating faster.
That’s a stark contrast to the way many of us ask a question,
which often has a slow, rambling, meandering introduction that
feels more like the thousand and one nights of Scheherazade than
anything Ian Fleming dreamt up.