What questions do you want to put in the midst of a caring, lively group of people?
If you are alive, you probably have a question in the back of your mind, because questions direct our attention to what's most important.
Where can I get my next meal? Who will I marry? What's the best way to expand my business? How can we resolve the conflict in the Middle East? If this winter's storms are not just weather, but global warming, what changes do we need to make? What is justice?
Some questions are immediate, some pragmatic, some desperate, some about personal problems, some about shared problems, some about big philosophical issues. But not all questions are good for dialogue - a conversation among diverse people focused on seeking truth together.
What makes a good question for a Conversation Café? It is.
- Open , without embedded cultural, political or ideological assumptions.
- Inviting both head and heart. People can respond with both their feelings and their thoughts.
- Honest. It has not already been answered conclusively - yet finding an answer is crucial to moving forward.
- Experiential. People can if they choose tell a story or recall an experience that relates to the question.
- Inclusive. Anyone at the table could have something valuable to say - whatever age, race, gender or education level.
- Stimulating. Generates a lively exploration; can't be answered with a "yes" or "no" or a platitude.
- Relevant. It may be general, but it relates to people's lives - from the personal to the political to the philosophical.
Making a Better Question from Three Starting Points
- "Why can't we all get along?"
- Is this a good question? It's the one Rodney King asked on television after his brutal beating from four police officers was captured on camera and televised. It's stimulating, relevant, inclusive and honest, but it does have an embedded assumption, which is that we can't or don't get along.
- Better might be, "How can we all get along?" or "How we forgive others for the hurt we have feel in the past?"
- "How can businesses become more socially responsible?" *
- This question assumes everyone agrees on the need or value for social responsibility.
- Perhaps, a better place to begin would be something like,"Think of those businesses whose practices you admire. What is most encouraging, reassuring or inspiring for you about how they are run? How is your life affected by the role that businesses play in the world?"
- "How do we reduce the influence of government in civil society?" *
- Can you see the problem? Are you starting to get it? This question imbeds the assumption that there is agreement that the influence of government should be reduced, and avoids exploration of the underlying issues.
- Consider instead, "What is most encouraging, confusing, or worrisome for you about influence of government in civil society?" Then as a follow up, "How have you experienced the influence of government in your life and how does it reflect your values/?" and/or "How have your responses and concerns shifted over time?"
* These lessons are provided via resources available from The Public Conversations Project - For an inspiring article on question framing, click here.