Reading Plato's conversations developed my respect for asking a question, or in Plato's case, a series of questions, that led to a change in thinking. Socrates was such a great questioner that his questioning methods were given his name, "Socratic Questioning". Although we all hate to be questioned, the right questions and the experience often results in new ways of thinking.
Sometimes we ask a question to make sense of an idea or a process. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People asks to seek understanding before reacting to situations or people. To do so one must often ask clarification questions. Simple asking why someone said what they said will go a long way in maintaining relationships. The answers will help us make better decisions about the actions we take.
Often I find the need to ask questions that consider other alternatives. Many "What if?" questions give us the opportunity to explore whether something would happen one way or the other. This also extends the need to develop questions that give us more information and allow us to understand the possibilities of a new skill or process.
We often work or teach individuals who have a perspective that is different from ours. A good idea is to compare how what they think is different from ours. This type of questioning, I feel, allows others to help us become more worldly, thus helping us gain a diverse understanding of many concepts. Questioning can also be used to understand what may happen to us or others by asking others for their intent or perspective on a subject.
Finally, we also need to ask questions about the questions we ask. Is what we're asking worth asking? Will certain questions offend others or are the questions appropriate?
This will be a constant struggle. I hear questions from others and I envy their ability to inquire. I should be so skilled. To do so, I will have to think of the audience, their concerns, and the difficulty of the topic or subject under discussion.
What do you think?
We often work or teach individuals who have a perspective that is different from ours. A good idea is to compare how what they think is different from ours. This type of questioning, I feel, allows others to help us become more worldly, thus helping us gain a diverse understanding of many concepts. Questioning can also be used to understand what may happen to us or others by asking others for their intent or perspective on a subject.
Finally, we also need to ask questions about the questions we ask. Is what we're asking worth asking? Will certain questions offend others or are the questions appropriate?
This will be a constant struggle. I hear questions from others and I envy their ability to inquire. I should be so skilled. To do so, I will have to think of the audience, their concerns, and the difficulty of the topic or subject under discussion.
What do you think?
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