Asking Great Questions

by Michael Novelli   |  April 28 2009    12:05 PM

A few years ago I stumbled upon a great little book called, Asking Great Questions by Karen Lee Thorpe. I have included a portion from that book that I adapted for Shaped by the Story. You can also download this as a PDF by clicking HERE.

Here is the excerpt from my book:

Keep the Conversation Going 

Questions and curiosity drive learning. Once learners believe they have all the answers, they stop asking questions, and then they soon stop learning. Become an expert at redirecting questions back to the group…sparking further conversation and wondering. This will create an environment where deep learning can more readily take place. Don’t be content with just one answer; ask what others in the group are thinking until several people have had the opportunity to answer.

Here are some ways you can keep the conversation going, adapted from Karen Lee-Thorp’s How to Ask Great Questions*:

• Clarifying—Can you tell me a • Clarifying—Can you tell me a little bit more?
• Question—Where have we seen this happen before?
• Follow-Up—Why do you think that is?
• Bouncing—That’s a great question. Does anyone in the group have any thoughts on that?
• Brainstorming—Let’s see how many ideas our group can come up with…
• Sharing—I also noticed the connection between…
• Answering—In the story the character said…
• Bringing New Observations—One thing no one mentioned was…
• Identifying Themes—What did we see in this story that we also saw in previous ones?
• Summarizing—So what was one thing that stood out to you from the story?
• Prompting—Who would like to share what they journaled about?
• Restating—So what you’re saying is…
• Connecting—What you’re saying is connected to what Tom said…
• Feedback—How are you feeling about this process so far? What’s helpful? What’s challenging?
• Refocusing—That’s a really interesting thought, but let’s get back to the question I asked…
• Identifying—How do you think we’re like the people in the story? Unlike them?
• Applying—How does this story challenge you personally?

Thanks to Mauri for reminding me of this great little book!

* Karen Lee-Thorp, How to Ask Great Questions: Guide Your Group to Discovery With These Proven Techniques (Colorado Springs, Col.: NavPress, 1998).