Formulating good thought-provoking questions may take some practice, but it will be well worth the investment of your time and effort. Regardless of the information, facts, or statements you are reviewing, ask yourself, “How can this information (facts or statement) be used to create higher order thinking in our next meeting?” That, in fact, is a good example of the type questions you want to develop. It is certainly an open-ended question. There is no simple, one way only, answer. You can come at it from different angles and perspectives. The question causes you to think and to look into the material being addressed from different approaches.

A good open ended question will promote higher order thinking (deep thinking) from everyone in the room; causing people to look at the information or issue from different viewpoints and approaches. Never ask a question you do not want someone else to answer. In other words never answer your own question and do not ask a question and move on without giving an opportunity to field responses from others in the room. Their responses may provide the needed learning for others in the room as well as their own. Sometimes, you may need to re-ask your question or change the wording to give better clarification.

Using How, What, and Where questions are possibly easiest to formulate for good thought promoting discussion. Using Why to begin a question perhaps requires the most precaution. “Why” questions often lead to responses allowing to people to live in the past, to pass blame, and respond defensively. This type of question is generally not productive and can produce a negative atmosphere. Example: Why do you think your church is in the situation it is today? Certainly, How, What, and Where questions could just as easily be posed leading to negative responses. Why questions though are easiest to turn on the defensive nature in people.

Instead of dealing in the past and the negative, find the positive or objective of the issue by looking to the future. Example: instead of, “Why do you think your church is in the situation it is today?” you want to ask, “In your opinion, what will a brighter future beyond this situation look like for your church?” This question causes everyone to think. Not about the past or negative issues, but about a brighter, positive future. As different people respond everyone in attendance is processing the information shared. In addition people’s thoughts will not be on issues of the past, but on ideas of how to avoid those issues.

For more information on formulating good thought provoking questions contact George L. Yates and visit soncare.net.