Psychological Safety Questions: The Ultimate List.
From Diagnostic to Action
In leadership, much of your results is determined by the quality of the questions you ask. If your team is silent, it isn't necessarily because they don't have ideas—it’s often because the "social cost" of speaking up feels too high.
When we facilitate our Psychological Safety Workshop, we found it’s more effective to have a multi-layered approach to questioning. In this guide, we break down psychological safety questions into three categories: The Diagnostic (The Survey), The System (Self-Reflection), and The Activation (1-on-1s).
1. The Diagnostic: Amy Edmondson’s 7 Survey Questions
If you want a "temperature check" of your team’s current state, use the industry-standard survey. Ask your team to rate these from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree).
If you make a mistake on this team, it is often held against you. (Reverse scored)
People on this team sometimes reject others for being different. (Reverse scored)
It is difficult to ask other members of this team for help. (Reverse scored)
Members of this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues.
It is safe to take a risk on this team.
No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.
Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilized.
Pro-Tip: If you run this survey, you must be clear on the process. Tell your team: "We are doing this to separate the people from the problem. We want to find the challenges we all agree on so we can solve them together."
Click here for a free downloadable survey.
2. The System: Self-Reflection Questions for Leaders
Most leaders think psychological safety is about their personality. Which is part of it, but another part that is overlooked is your cultural processes. Here are just a few examples to see if your "Internal Operating System" is creating silence.
The Conflict Process:
"If an employee and I have a disagreement, is there a clear, known way for them to talk to someone else or resolve it safely, or do they feel stuck?"
The Idea Process:
"Do people know exactly what happens to an idea after they share it, or does it feel like a 'black hole'?"
The Clarity Check:
"Are the expectations for this project so clear that an employee doesn't have to fear 'getting it wrong' due to a lack of info?"
The Triad Check:
"Did I provide evidence that I Heard them?"
"Did I show their idea was Considered, even if we didn't use it?"
"Did I ensure they felt Included in the final decision?"
3. The Activation: One-on-One & Meeting Questions
To move the needle daily, use these "Active" questions to invite participation and lower the "threat response" in your team. Think of these as questions to help clear the path so they can be more open and honest.
To lower the stakes:
"What is one thing I could do to make it easier for you to share bad news or 'half-baked' ideas with me?"
To encourage candor:
"If we were to fail on this project, what would be the most likely reason why? (Let's name it now, before we start.)"
To check the "Triad" in real-time:
"On a scale of 1-10, how 'Heard' did you feel in that last strategy session?"
To identify friction:
"Where in our current weekly workflow do you feel keeps people from speaking up with wild ideas?"
The Barrier: Why Questions Aren't Always Enough to Create Psychological Safety
You can ask the best questions in the world, but if the underlying hierarchy makes people feel unsafe, they will still give you "safe" answers.
This is the "Silence Tax." When the process for feedback is unclear, people default to saying what the boss wants to hear. To break this cycle, you need more than a list of questions; you need a Collaborative Safety Cycle.
How We Help
In our Psychological Safety Workshop, we don't just give you a list of questions. We facilitate psychologically safe methods that allow these questions to be answered honestly, without fear of retribution. We help leaders:
Standardize their "Conflict Process."
Build the muscle of behaviors to increase safety.
Turn survey data into action for the team.
Conclusion: Start with One Question
Don't try to overhaul your culture overnight. Pick one area to focus on (like a weekly standup) and ask a psychological safety question from the "Activation" list and ask it in your next 1-on-1.
The moment you show a team member that their voice is Heard, Considered, and Included, the "Silence Tax" begins to disappear.
Ready to move from questions to culture change and see how we help executives and directors unlock the full potential of their leadership and teams.