I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
- Rudyard Kipling
Questions - we have so many. Who gets health care or deserves it? Should students referred to as Dreamers be deported? Should transgender individuals be allowed to use the public restrooms that correspond with the gender to which they currently identify? Why do health disparities continue to exist? The Internet changed the world to what? When will tweets be expanded to 280 words?
Research, which is so important to evidence-based care, is about asking questions, as are the NCLEX, certification, high-stakes testing, and patient safety. At the 2017 NLN Education Summit, questions were in the air. How do we differentiate the DNP degree from the PhD? What are the purpose and hallmarks of DNP projects? Who should serve on DNP committees?
Organizations are defined by the questions they ask or fail to ask. A corollary posited by news commentators, whose work is all about asking questions, emphasizes that asking the right question is 95 percent of getting the right answer. Is that true? What makes a question good or bad? Is there such a thing as a bad question? There is no question that questions are fundamentally essential and impactful. They move us forward and shape destinies.
Interestingly, there is no one-size fits all format for them. In fact, it seems that the timing of the question, as well as the type of question asked, matters. In The Language of Man: Learning to Speak Creativity (2016, Daymark Press), Larry Robertson provides a typology of questions that have the potential to lead to incredible results. Check them out and try them on.
1. Fit Questions. These are the verbal and thinking equivalent of working on scattered pieces, much as you do when you solve a puzzle. You ask: What makes sense? Why don't things fit? Could things fit? What would it take to get a fit? When we say to ourselves that something does feel right, we are asking a fit question.
2. Self-Interview Questions. These are the questions about what we think or desire, why we do what we do, and for whom we do what we do. This form of inquiry can be considered reflection and can lead to greater self-awareness.
3. Unprofessional Questions. These are explorations into the assumed. They are the "what if" questions, driven by the deep sense that something else or something better is still to be discovered. They cause us to look outward in new ways.
4. Portraiture Questions. These questions are frameworks that put what we see or consider in context. If you have ever followed the instruction to ask what is your why, you have engaged in this type of inquiry. Your scope widens, and possible answers multiply. Portraiture questions can lead to considering the answers of others, cocreating with others. Diverse perspectives enhance and improve upon the creation of answers or existing answers.
5. Flipping or Reverse a Metaphor Questions. These questions can have the effect of sparking creativity. They may seem playful rather than deep and push you to the edge, which is where their power lies. The added benefit is that they seem to pause the brain and have potential for breakthrough solutions that otherwise might have gone unnoticed.
6. Depth-Check Questions. These questions help gauge where you are and why you are seeing what you see. Sometimes they lead us to understand that we are too close to the subject to get a good picture. By changing positions and cutting out certain elements, a good picture can become a great one. Mastering the ability to ask depth-check questions is akin to being a good dancer. It gives you adaptability and grace.
7. Change-The-W-Question. Such questions bring the gift of the unexpected, causing us to pause to sort things out. They jump start our thinking differently. It is actually quite easy to ask a W question. Simply substitute your Who? What? Where? When? Why? with one of the other Ws. For example, a What question becomes a When question by changing the first word. The shift can be revelatory.
So, what's my point? Glad you asked. Questions can shift perspectives and mindsets and result in the creation of pathways to breakthroughs. Simply stated, questions open us up. And when pursued tenaciously, answers, even unexpected ones, do come. Openness is central to creativity. And creativity requires a willingness to reconsider either deeply held assumptions or well-worn answers to pernicious and persistent problems. Keep asking your questions and encourage your students and colleagues to do so. Better options - the health of the nation and its creative capacity - depend on our asking questions.
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