Please share your experiences as you work with dumb or penetrating questions.
Let us know about your feelings as you frame the questions-- for example, what is the role of the VOJ? How about the reaction? Did you get your answer and maybe more?
You can even try questions with strangers-- so long as you genuinely want to know the answer. Many of us REALLY like to share of knowledge if someone asks and is interested...
What have you found?
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“Asking Dumb Questions” was an interesting exercise and I think I will keep playing with it a bit more. When I need to think through certain problem or challenge I tend to put the main topic in center of a piece of paper and then use the “mind – mapping” technique to explore my options. If I add questions in that mind-mapping process, things become a bit different. Following questions, instead of options, feels fresher in my mind and gives me figuratively speaking multiple “doors” that I can open, sense what is behind, and then decide if I need more questions and explorations or I’m ready to make a choice. My next step will be to sharpen my “question asking technique” when I’m in position to lead a group decision making process.
ReplyDeleteI also experimented with asking myself a relevant question before falling asleep. My dream for that night actually was exploring one of the options that I’m considering for that particular challenge, but I’m still in dilemma if the atmosphere of the dream was refection of my VOJ or VOI. Still, very interesting experience all together and I know for sure that I’ll keep this habit and refine it as I go.
-My prelude to dumb question exercixe involved just listening for questions throughout the day. This took more concentration and conscious listening to others in conversation than I have been used to doing.
ReplyDelete-I told a friend about our assignment and he said I won't have any problem with this 'cause that is one thing I'm good at!
-Asking questions in conversation seems "reflective" and people usually are happy to provide more details about what they just said. I find it is an easy way to make conversation with people I don't know very well - they do all the talking.
-As for "dumb" ones, I found people don't seem to object and it causes me to be more curious about things people take for granted or assume it is understood. I like this Live-with.
-Hal asked for the emotional intelligence profile website: go to myskillsprofile.com. It costs $15.00 and is well worth the money. EIQ16 profile is personalized to your perception of different situations and rates your EI.
I was talking with my best friend about her brother's job search. I asked her "what does he want to do?" and she said she wasn't sure if he knows and that got her curious about her brother in a different way.
ReplyDeleteHere's a dumb question: where can we choose to share with the class our challenge on this blog? I'd love to share my experience and get some ideas!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of fun this week with asking dumb questions. I forced myself to ask at least one question a day at work and with my friends. The outcome was very interesting and I was impressed to see how people actually open up and talk.
Throughout the week, I was scared, uncomfortable and uncertain about my questions, its importance and how people would look at me (VOJ). Most of the time I rationalized my fears and asked the questions anyway, but sometime I keep it to myself and tried later on.
I really like asking dumb questions, it has been a very pleasant experience!
See you tomorrow
Eugenie
There is now a post where you can share your class challenge. Thanks for asking an important dumb question, Mai!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI found at a personal level, a simple dumb question is all it takes to clarify/uncover misunderstandings that was uncomfortable to talk about family members, and friends.
By simply declaring a question as dumb, we project ourselves as humble, and I found the questions are better received, than say a question that is more critical in nature.
Compare the following two questions:
1. This may be dumb, but could someone enlighten me as to the benefits of doing this approach? vs
2. Why did we choose to do this approach?
However, I also found that asking too many dumb questions backfires, esp in a work place. May be that is why we sometimes hold back on asking too many dumb questions, because we want to reserve those for the not so dumb questions.
It appears that people can usually tolerate a few questions from a given person in a given day at the work place.
When you start to ask too many questions, especially when others have their own priorities to meet, too many questions appear to be intrusive and others can feel quite annoyed (by the way of their sentences).
I suppose the opposite is also true, when we are on the receiving end of tonnes of questions. (Our immediate response is, please read the this and that).
Therefore, I found that, it is not the nature of the questions that people dislike, but more the quantity of the questions.
I just noticed that I haven't posted on the blog in a while! With life being always hectic, I've learned that the Live-Withs always help me "re-group" myself, so they've been very helpful. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for this particular Live-With, I usually don't have any issues asking dumb questions (and making dumb comments) in my personal life. But I noticed that sometimes my pride gets in the way and prevents me from asking questions at work. By noticing that my "pride" is also what my VOJ uses against me, I also realized that by spending a lot of time figuring out what I'm supposed to do, I waste a lot of time. But if I subdue my VOJ, let go of my pride, and asked simple questions such as "who is this report for?", "what is the main purpose of this analysis?", and the very important "when is this due". By doing so, generally, I have less pressure and stress at work. To know that not everything is a rush project really frees me from stressing about it (now I know that stress and time goes hand in hand from this week's Live-With!)!