TAG | questions
A great question is the facilitator’s most powerful tool. The questions we choose have very different purposes and lead us to very different results – so how do we go about crafting questions that will generate the responses we are seeking?
If you ask many people to describe to you different types of question and their effect, their responses are often limited to references to ‘open’ and ‘closed’ questions, sometimes with an implication that open questions are in some way ‘better’ than the closed type. When pushed on the question of ‘types of question’, the respondents may extend their thinking to include rhetorical and hypothetical questions and even the idea of ‘the daft (stupid/foolish) question’!
In reality, effective communicators frame questions in many different ways to help to enhance their own communication and to help them to understand the people they are communicating with.
Most of us recognise the impact of a really great question: we are stopped in our thought processes, challenged to analyse our response and given a new perspective on the ‘habitual’ thinking we are engaged in. Equally, most of us recognise the frustration of being asked endless questions, typified by the young child’s repetition of the single question, “Why?”
Too many ill-considered questions cause us to become disengaged, superficial or defensive in our responses but, as any good coach or counsellor knows, the right question at the right time can unlock extensive dialogue and change an individual’s view of the world.
Those of you who read my last post, about using our ‘Whole Brain’ in thinking, will see the link when I describe to you what I see as four valuable categories of question – each related to one of the ‘Whole Brain’ quadrants.
Our ‘upper left’, logical analytical brain leads to questions which are designed to build understanding of processes,
systems and problems.These are often questions of analysis and logic. They are the questions which help us to
understand ‘cause and effect’ and to build convincing arguments and business cases. These questions are objective,
business-like and neutral: they gather information and data and process it effectively.
In contrast, our ‘upper right’, imaginative and synergistic brain provokes questions which are designed to extend our thinking, develop new ideas and approaches and stimulate innovation. These are often questions which ask us to imagine or visualise something new. They often focus on the future rather than the past and on ideal situations rather than ‘real’ ones. They are of enormous value in breaking habits in thinking and encouraging a different perspective and new ideas.
‘Lower left’ questions are designed to create order, control and structure and to help us to plan activities.These are often questions which begin, “How, what, when, who?”. They are questions which organise and categorise our thinking. They
ensure that we pay attention to detail and think through our ideas before we commit to them. These questions are essential in confirming actions, checking understanding and planning.
Finally, lower right questions are designed to build understanding of feelings, beliefs and different interpersonal styles and perspectives. These are often questions which seek to explore people’s feelings and understand their responses.
They are the questions which help us to build strong relationships and to offer empathy to others. They enable us to
anticipate reactions to suggestions and to understand personal problems.
Developing the ability to formulate these questions appropriately is a learned skill. If you play around with the categories you’ll find some much easier to work with then others!
I’ve developed a set of facilitator guidelines and resources that enable you to run an interactive, 2-3 hour skills development workshop around the ‘Art of Great Questions’. If you’re interested and would like more details, contact RSVP Design through the website : www.rsvpdesign.co.uk and ask us questions about questions!
