FACILITATION ROLE
The Right
Questions for Top Participation
A key facet of a
facilitator’s job is creating an environment where all
participants feel comfortable contributing. The way you
ask a question can make a big difference in
accomplishing this goal. Dorothy Strachan’s book,
Questions that Work: A Resource for Facilitators,
has many tips for framing questions to put participants
at ease.
How to ask
Consider these
nuances, drawn from Questions that Work.
|
Instead of
asking… |
Try asking |
So that |
|
Do you understand
the question or Do you understand the task? or Who
doesn’t understand this?
|
Did I make the
question clear? Or Is that task clear or should I
explain it a little further? |
The
responsibility for making the question or task clear
remains with the facilitator, not with the
participant. |
|
What sort of data
do you have to back up your opinion?
|
Tell me more. Has
anyone researched this? |
You are not
putting the respondent in a defensive, weaker
position. |
|
You look pretty
defensive Gary – what’s going on? |
To what extent
are things moving the way you expected, Gary? |
You don’t make an
assumption about what Gary is feeling; instead you
invite him to provide his own perspective. |
Strachan advises that
when seeking different viewpoints, it’s good practice to
avoid asking “Who can play Devil’s advocate…?” This
implies that an opposing view will be perceived to be
negative. With people voicing opinions they don’t hold,
people may lose sight of who believes in what. “What are
other ways to solve this problem…” is a better approach.
Setting the stage for
maximum participation includes asking honest and
relevant questions. A facilitator should never ask a
question that she already knows the answer to. Outside
of the classroom, it’s patronizing to test whether
people know specific answers and more helpful to the
group if questions provoke discussion. So instead of
asking “who knows what SMART objectives are?” ask “Has
anyone had any experience with SMART objectives?”
When to ask
To create a safe
environment and ask challenging questions that will move
the group forward, Strachan suggests making sure the
group has advance notice of the question. For example,
say “After lunch, I’m going to ask each of you what is
the most important challenge before us, so you may want
to give this some thought.” Questions can also be
included in advance question in planning materials,
“Please come prepared to share an example of …” Another
technique for challenging issues is to ask risky
questions in pairs or small groups before asking for
input in a plenary session.
Accommodating
risk
Asking someone to
explain “how” something happened or “what”
happened may be more effective than asking “why”.
People often feel accused or blamed when asked “why”,
Strachan says, and may just say the first thing that
comes to mind or make things up. “How” and “what”
questions are more likely to get accurate and truthful
responses in difficult situations than those who ask
“why”.
Final thoughts
Strachan’s advice on
making questions work includes tips on asking questions
with sensitivity, creating inviting questions and
customizing for context – and leads into seven further
chapters of sample questions and advice for facilitators
addressing common challenges with groups. This is an
excellent resource for anyone who works with groups,
including professional facilitators, project leaders,
community organizers, trainers, moderators or anyone
seeking to build consensus on a board or committee.
Recommended
resources:
Dorothy Strachan,
Questions That Work: A Resource for Facilitators,
ST Press, Ottawa, 2001, available through
www.stpress.ca or by calling 1-800-572-1564
. Customers who mention “The Canadian Association” when
they order will receive a $3.00 discount - $24.95 per
book instead of $27.95. Shipping by mail for a single
copy is $4.00.
 Jane Logan is the former president of a
national trade association. She is a bilingual
facilitator and strategic planner, and heads Logan
Strategy Inc.
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