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4.6
Asking Questions to Promote Curiosity
Submitted by Lori Britt
This activity focuses attention on the intentionality of asking questions. A good question can help promote a rich and meaningful discussion and goes beyond talking “on the surface”.
Learning Goals
Understand what constitutes “good questions”.
Practice developing questions that will surface new insights and perspectives.
Instructions
Set Up: Prepare for the Activity
Select a complex problem that is important to the group.
Share the Identifying Stakeholders Worksheet as handouts or create copies of the file for each group.
Organize participants into pairs or small groups (3-4 ppl).
Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.
Step One: List Stakeholders for a Complex Problem (15 min)
A key way to promote broad knowledge of an issue is to ask good questions. How do we know what good questions are? One way to start thinking about questions is to identify what you assume people think about an issue and then develop questions to explore whether or not that is the case.
Share the complex problem and invite each small group to first create a stakeholder chart for this issue using the worksheet.
Then ask them to answer the following questions:
How do you think each stakeholder defines the issue?
What do you think are their major concerns?
Ask them to also think about and list sources that led them to these perceptions (such as media accounts, personal experience, knowledge they have gained in their education, others).
Step Two: Identify Key Stakeholders (10 min)
Invite each group to think about what questions they can ask each group of stakeholders to help unearth the concerns and hopes they have regarding this issue.
Then, ask them to identify which stakeholders it would be very important to try and communicate with directly regarding this issue. Have each small group write their top 5 stakeholders on a whiteboard, shared screen, or other surface visible to everyone.
Step Three: Craft Specific Questions for Specific Stakeholders (20 min)
Select a few of the different stakeholders listed and assign each small group one of these stakeholders.
Each group is tasked with writing good questions tailored for their specific stakeholder. Highlight that a good question offers insight into the stakeholder’s perspective and helps us to understand how they make sense of the issue.
Share the Question Chart showing a few types of questions that can help support collaborative learning about an issue from stakeholders. Examples oriented around the problem of healthcare are offered to show how participants might write each type of question for a particular issue.
Step Four: Debrief as a Full Group (10 min)
Invite each group to share some of their stakeholder questions. Discuss:
Which type of question was most commonly used? Why is this?
Which question stands out? What caught your attention? What does this question do or make possible?
How would you revise one of these questions to go deeper?
What concerns do you have about asking specific stakeholder questions?
TIME
55
min
MODULE
Culturally Responsive Collaboration
This activity can be completed by any discussion group.
This activity is suitable for professional or more formal learning environments.
This activity can be used to support facilitation skills. See Sample Facilitation Certificate Program Design to illustrate sample sequencing.
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0 Comments
YD
November 28, 2022 at 9:13:29 PM
Activity 2.7 uses metaphors to explore the place of imagination and humor in exploring difficult or unfamiliar topics.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 9:10:50 PM
Activity 2.6 is another fun activity that encourages flexible thinking and a method of communication built on validation and respect, resulting in an environment of collaboration.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 9:02:30 PM
Activity 2.5 is fun activity that helps you let loose and unleash your playful side to help demonstrate how play is very useful to broadening perspectives.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:57:35 PM
Activity 2.4 helps encourage bold, imaginative thinking and looking at the risks involved in both action and inaction.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:54:27 PM
Activity 2.3 uses mind mapping to flex your creativity in a fun and engaging way and apply it to developing innovative thoughts and solutions.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:50:37 PM
Activity 2.2 is another innovative and useful activity that helps us explore, engage, work with a topic that can be frustrating or difficult for many, i.e. contradictions in the world and ourselves.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:47:31 PM
Activity 2.1 provides useful information to develop and use curiosity not just in a discussion space, but also in your everyday life.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:44:34 PM
Activity 1.7 is provides a useful inventory of collaborative discussion skills. It can be used to bring awareness to your skill level as you begin and to keep track of your progress as you move through this toolkit of activities.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:41:05 PM
Activity 1.6 is very innovative. It helps demonstrate how the prioritization of different values we hold changes according to context.
YD
November 28, 2022 at 8:38:49 PM
Activity 1.5 helps look at discussions from a different lens, moving away from just right or wrong and taking a deeper look at the values that drive different perspectives and opinions.