6 Ways to Ask Powerful Questions

Learn How to Use Socratic Style* Questions

*the art and science of asking questions to foster critical thinking, build understanding and facilitate thoughtful exchange

This electure teaches you how to use a modification of the Socratic style of questioning to amp up your inquiry skills. Asking the right question in the right way at the right time is a powerful communication tool that fuels effective leadership skills. When Ben Franklin learned of the Socratic method for questioning, he wrote: "I was charm'd with it, adopted it, dropt my abrupt contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on the humble inquirer and doubter."

What You'll Learn

• A thoughtful method of inquiry that creates an open-ended dialogue
• Know how to use inquiry and when to advocate
• When it's appropriate to use a Socratic-style line of questioning
• Six types of questions to drive interactive conversation
• How to suss out meaning

How You'll Benefit

• Gain critical thinking skills
• Increase your own level of understanding so you aren't jumping to the wrong conclusion
• Garner appreciation from others because you ask such thoughtful questions
• Learn to value the silence sometimes follows a question
• Amp up your skills in gathering information and influencing thinking

For about the same price as a book, workshop participants will learn concepts and skills for more effective communications and leadership.

Who Should Participate

• Anyone seeking to create interactive dialogue
• If your work demands building understanding of other's points of view
• If you've been accused of masking questions as directives
• If you're looking for a way to get at the heart of an issue

Workshop Materials

In advance of the workshop, participants will receive (via email) a booklet that provides a content summary, gives examples of and explains the purpose of each of the six styles of questions, and provides space for notes.

If you are interested in learning more or want us to present this workshop for your organization, please drop us a line.

"The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking questions."  ~Bishop Mandell Creighton