The Act of Questioning

When it comes to community engagement, intentionality has been a driving theme in how Cindy and I structure site visits and workshops for PennCORP. Intentionality shows up in the nuances of the space – interpersonal interactions, physical atmosphere, norms, body placement, and language. The language used in questioning influences the response, and a large consideration on our part has been how to structure questions in a way that facilitates deeper conversation.

Fran Peavey’s workshops on Strategic Questioning has been an instrumental resource for us in developing better discussion questions. Strategic questions, in contrast to descriptive or observational questions,  focus on creating motion and options in conversation. They avoid “yes/no” and “why” judgement-based language, instead opting to empower respondents by guiding them towards visions of the future and alternatives for change.

The difference between “How can we work together?” versus “What would it take for you to work together?” is tangible. Situations remain the same, but the problems and answers at hand feel different. Intentionality in social justice education is present in our practices, and when we use it in our questioning, it can create spaces for thoughtful reflection on our hopes for change.