FRONT OF THE ROOM
Tina Greene
I recently listened to a podcast that explored the notion that sometimes we ask questions that really might be a test of the other person: How they answer a “benign” question will give insights into how and what they are thinking.
I found it fascinating that such a deliberate thought process might go into constructing questions like this. Truth be told, it felt a bit deceptive at first, particularly in the context of this podcast – it had to do with meeting new people and figuring out “compatibility.”
But also: I get it. Ask a question that gives the other person some room to reveal their thoughts, so you can figure out where they are.
After pondering this, I was reminded of the discussion I often have with trainers about checking in with participants throughout a learning experience. During feedback sessions after a practice facilitation, I hear folks say they thought they did a good job of asking “check in” questions of their learners throughout the facilitation. In reality, they were asking things like: “Everybody good?” “Any questions?”
I’ve noticed recently the addition of the phrase “if that makes sense” at the end of any explanation. I would contend that very few, if any, participants would respond with: I’m not good with this; I have lots of questions; No, that doesn’t make sense.
I don’t mean to suggest that the facilitator asking these questions is insincere. In my quest to always assume good intent (unless proven otherwise), I want to believe these questions are asked because the one asking truly wants to make sure everyone is “good” before moving on.
Unfortunately, as adult learners, it’s safe to assume we’ve all been in a room where the person who asked, “any questions?” really meant “I’ve checked that box and we’re moving on now.”
Many of us in this field came from sales, and we learned the very fundamental skill of asking open-ended questions. If we polled ourselves, I contend that we’d think we’re pretty good at it. But when overwhelmed by the innumerable tasks that are asked of us, the deadlines put upon us or the sheer volume of content we need to get through, taking the time to be deliberate about asking questions can fall by the wayside.
We can do better!
We ask questions of our learners because we need data. We need input from them that proves they are absorbing and thinking about the information we share with them.
Think about the things you want know from them:
What is their reaction to this information? This is the most open-ended question: How does that land with you?
Are they absorbing and retaining facts? This often looks like teach-back: Talk to me about which data point sticks with you the most.
How might this information impact what they do in their jobs moving forward? We’re asking them to speculate about possibilities: What, if anything, will this change for you? Spoiler alert: This looks open-ended, but it could possibly be answered with one word.
If it’s true that learning is not the result of training, but actually the result of thinking, then we need to ask questions that get them thinking. At the end of the podcast, the folks who were interviewed said they’d learned enough from others’ responses to clue them in to the promise of compatibility.
For me, I just need to know that learners are compatible with the learning.
Tina Greene is a senior consultant for Perim Consulting. Email Tina at tgreene@perim.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/tina-greene-73a5147.
