On October 5-6, 2012, the Department of Medicine will celebrate its centennial with a symposium. In planning the agenda of speakers and sessions, the organizing committee left time for questions from the audience. As important as this interaction is, I am reminded of how rare it is to hear a good question after a presentation.
Commonly, the so-called questions are really comments. If forced to abide by the interrogative form, the questioner will add a perfunctory, “Don’t you agree?” Other times, the questions are rambling and disconnected from the speaker’s main argument. Sometimes I hear very specific methodological questions that interest only specialists.
What all these kinds of questions have in common is that they are more interested in showcasing the asker than eliciting an answer. I was relieved to read that other academics have the same pet peeve. Peter Wood from the National Association of Scholars describes a panel he participated in where none of the questions started with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” or “how.”
In the service of restoring the A and A period to a Q and A, he offers several useful suggestions:
- Have a single point.
- Don’t ask clarifying factual details.
- Avoid talking about the question; just ask it.
- If someone else asks your question, put your hand down.
- Resist speaking for an entire category of people.
- At the same time, resist giving your autobiography.
- Add value to the conversation.
The burden to be witty may be too heavy, so just focus on being concise and curious.
Tags: academic culture
Questions are some of the most powerful tools we as human beings possess. Whether you’re a parent, a doctor, or a salesperson, the ability to ask the right questions at the right time and in the right way highly improves your chances of success while at the same time avoiding unnecessary conflict.
Wim
Good web site!
Was great reading you! the art is ask, in everything, on university, in life, erverywhere!
Related articles: God nine tomorrow 18 hours 37 minutes launch astronauts flying multiply group Chilean miners
What all these kinds of questions have in common is that they are more interested in showcasing the asker than eliciting an answer. I was relieved to read
This overhead guard is extremely important because it protects the driver of the vehicle from any falling debris that may injure the driver. Picking up a load No special outfit has a bias for any particular forklift, though most prefer the ones with the highest lifting capacities. If one is around a construction site or on uneven surfaces one will likely be planning to use pneumatic tires.