Part 3 of 5 on the Power of Asking Questions
Bernice Moore-Valdez
Our last blog looked at clarifying questions and questions that seek information. This time we’re looking at 2 additional kinds of questions:
- Questions that invite other perspectives
- Questions that enable collective learning and understanding
Questions that Invite Other Perspectives
Why?Questions that invite different perspectives help us understand complexity. Questions that invite other perspectives are extremely valuable in helping groups make good decisions, understand complex issues, and create collaborative action. When we invite other people to give their ideas, we are able to see more of any complex system or issue. Our own perspective is limited, and we need to broaden our view to get a sense of what is really going on.
Examples.
We can invite other perspectives to enhance our thinking. Here are some ideas:
- What are your thoughts?
- What have I missed?
- How else can we do this?
- Who sees this differently? How do you see it?
How?
Reach out to others with an invitation for them to share their perspective. Martha has an opinion about how things need to be done. She says, “We have to include our assumptions in our budgets. If we don’t we won’t be able to align them. How do you see it, Bill?”
Bill is invited into the conversation to think through how to include assumptions in the budgeting process. Everyone in the room listens and participates in the conversation. People collaboratively align their actions in a meaningful budgeting process.
Questions that Enable Collective Learning and Understanding
Why?
Understanding things better leads to better decision making. The idea is to look at things together. Questions that seek to enhance collective learning help us engage collectively so that there is meaning among us. And, because we understand things better, we make better decisions and act more effectively.
Examples.
Helping a group learn together with good questions is the apex of inquiry. It helps to be in a conversation that has a level of openness and trust. Here are some possible questions:
- What have we decided in this meeting?
- What have we learned here?
- What is most important for us to remember about what we talked about today?
- What do we understand differently after our conversation?
- How will we hold ourselves accountable for the agreements we have made here today?
- What was different about today’s meeting? What worked for us? What didn’t work so well?
How?
Listen to what people say in response to a good question. Inviting other perspectives is not a hollow exercise; when we listen to peoples views with a willingness to be influenced, we see a bigger picture and broader horizon.
Welcome Dissent. If someone disagrees with you, say, “That’s a different perspective,” and ask, “Can you tell me more about what you are thinking?”
