Challenging Assumptions

A brief introduction to problem solving by Giorgio Natili

Agenda

  • Socratic Questioning
  • How to Ask Good Questions
  • Assess Reasoning Through Questions

Socratic Questioning

Definition

  • The Socratic approach to questioning is based on the practice of disciplined, thoughtful dialogue
  • Socratic questioning is at the heart of critical thinking and problem solving

Socratic Questions

  • Questions for clarification
  • Questions that probe assumptions
  • Questions that probe reasons and evidence
  • Questions about viewpoints and perspectives
  • Questions that probe implications and consequences
  • Questions about the question

Questions for Clarification

  • What do you mean by...?  ƒ
  • Could you put that another way?  ƒ
  • What do you think is the main issue?  ƒ
  • Could you give us an example?  ƒ
  • Could you expand upon that point further?

Probe the Assumptions

  • Why would someone make this assumption?  
  • What is _______ assuming here?  ƒ
  • What could we assume instead?  
  • You seem to be assuming______.  
  • Do I understand you correctly?

Probe reasons and evidence

  • What would be an example?  ƒ
  • Why do you think this is true?  ƒ
  • What other information do we need?  ƒ
  • Could you explain your reason to us?  ƒ
  • By what reasoning did you come to that conclusion?
  • Is there reason to doubt that evidence?  ƒ
  • What led you to that belief?

Viewpoints and Perspectives

  • How would other groups of people respond this question? Why?  ƒ
  • How could you answer the objection that ______would make?  ƒ
  • What is an alternative?  ƒ
  • How are ____ and ____’s ideas alike? Different?

 Implications and Consequences

  • What effect would that have?  ƒ
  • Could that really happen or probably happen?  ƒ
  • What is an alternative?  ƒ
  • What are you implying by that?  ƒ
  • If that happened, what else would happen? Why?

 Questions the Question

  • What was the point of this question?
  • Why do you think I asked this question?
  • What does...mean?
  • How does...apply to everyday life?

How To Ask Good Questions

Asking Questions

  • Asking questions is not easy
  • You have to be brave because the reaction of the audience might be different from what you expect and your questions can be interpreted in a different way
  • Anytime you ask a question, be ready to absorb any reaction with a curious mind
  • Questioning is a tool to drive better thoughts and discussions and not a way to asses others

Open Ended

Start with open-ended questions that minimize preconceptions

 

(“How are things going on your end?” “What does your group see as the key opportunity in this space?”)

Focused Questions

As collaborations develop, ask questions that focus on specific issues but allow people plenty of room to elaborate

 

(“What do you know about x?” “Can you explain how that works?”)

Summarizing Questions

Check your understanding by summarizing what you’re hearing and asking explicitly for corrections or missing elements

 

(“Does that sound right—am I missing anything?” “Can you help me fill in the gaps?”)

Leverage Others' Experiences

Periodically take time to inquire into others’ experiences of the process or relationship

 

(“How do you think the project is going?” “What could we do to work together more effectively?”)

Keep Participants Focused

  • Connect the asked question to the main topic
  • Seek for help to see the connection

Assess Reasoning Through Questions

Clarity

  • Could you elaborate further?
  • Could you give me an example?
  • Could you illustrate what you mean?

Accuracy

  • How could we check on that?
  • How could we find out that is true?
  • How could we verify or test that?

Precision

  • Could be more specific?
  • Could you give me more details?
  • Could you tell me more about the data that you are using?

Relevance

  • How does that relate to the problem under discussion?
  • How does that help us to solve this problem?
  • How does that contribute to the assumptions you are making? 

Depth

  • Is this a high-level or low-level vision of the problem?
  • How are you planning to dive deep in the ambiguity of this problem?
  • Aren't we going too deep on this specific area of the problem?

Breadth

  • Do we need to look at this problem from a different perspective?
  • Have you also considered the point of view of XX?
  • Do we need to look at this problem in other ways?

Logic

  • How the first paragraph/assertion/sentence fit with your last?
  • From a very high-level point of view, does all this make sense together?
  • Which part of your thought process follows from the evidence?

Fairness

  • Do I have any vested interest in this issue?
  • Am I sympathetically representing the point of views of others?
  • Am I biased toward one perspective because I know a person or because I already solved the problem in the past?

Significance

  • Is this the most important problem to solve?
  • Is this the central idea we should focus on?
  • Which of these facts are the most important and which can be discussed later?

Questions and Answers

Challenging Assumptions

By Giorgio Natili

Challenging Assumptions

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