As you lead volunteers -- and especially in meeting
times -- use these types of questions from Meetings: Do's, Don'ts
and Donuts by Sharon Lippincott...
Jesus was the master at asking great questions. He could send a
zinger that would stop any discussion or ask a thoughtful question
that would open up people to greater faith.
- Factual Questions -- Use these questions for basic information
gathering (what, where, when, why, who, how, and how much).
- Exploratory -- Broaden the discussion with questions such as
"How would that help?" "How would you go about doing that?" or
"What other things should be considered?"
- Justification -- To challenge old ideas and to generate new
ones, ask in a nonconfrontational tone, "What makes you say that?"
"Where did you hear that?" "Have you actually tried that?"
- Leading -- When you want to introduce a thought of your own,
ask, "Would this be a possible solution?" or "Have you tried
this?"
- Hypothetical -- To test assumptions, ask, "What would happen if
we did it this way?" or "If I do it this other way, will it still
work?"
- Alternative -- When you realize that it's time for the group to
make a decision or come to an agreement, ask, "Which of these plans
do you think is best?" or "Would you rather get together on Monday
or Tuesday?"
- Consensual -- To help develop common agreement or to take
action, ask, "Do we all agree that this is what we want to do?" "Is
there anything preventing us from getting started now?"
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and
prices are subject to change.
