Directing, asking, and answering questions
Options for directing questions in a workshop or training program
Direct questions: for a specific group member to hold him accountable for
participating/contributing. Used to get opinions but not facts.
Group questions: directed to the whole group, they offer participation but may
not be responded or overparticipation and overaggressive participants may take
over.
Relayed questions: directed by the leader from one participant to another.
Good for participants’ thinking and talking about their own learning.
Reverse questions: the leader returns a question to the person who asked it to
encourage learning by answering his own question.
How to ask questions
Follow 4 steps:
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Ask the question
Pause to give time for thinking (at least enough, if no answer, rephrase the question)
Listen to answer
Respond/ask others to comment on the idea
Additional tips for asking
questions
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Ask questions for reasoning and
understanding, not for memory.
Keep questions concise but challenge
participants for creative responses.
Use simple language but vary
emphasis, tone, and accent.
Go for answers that are easy to
provide with the wording of the
question.
Do not force answers, but give clues
for their reason to be.
If no one asks questions, ask them
yourself.
Closed questions should not be
overused.
Keep the wording of questions on
sensitive issues casual.