Home
>
Team Building
>
Leading the Witness: How Asking Questions as a Trainer Can Limit Learning and Reduce Trust

Leading the Witness: How Asking Questions as a Trainer Can Limit Learning and Reduce Trust

"Asking questions can be a means of establishing authority, fulfilling leadership functions, and ensuring effective learning. In fact, asking questions is probably the most subtle power you have for controlling people. The person who asks questions always controls the conversation... if we could discipline our minds to ask questions instead, we could lead any conversation to wherever we wanted it because the other person would still be wrapped up in thinking what he or she wanted to say next...One of the rights you have as a trainer is to ask questions and expect answers. This is why question-asking is such a powerful tool. It challenges and avoids confrontation at the same time."

Mitchell, Garry, The Trainer's Handbook: The AMA Guide to Effective Training, Amacom, 1998, p 63.

If you deliver training, odds are you reduce participants' learning and enthusiasm through manipulative questions - like the ones Garry is advocating for -and that you're unaware that you're doing this. I label Garry's approach to questions as manipulative because they require that the trainer ask questions for the purposes of guiding a conversation in a particular direction without disclosing that direction in advance and giving participants a choice about whether they want to go there.

My colleague Sue McKinney and I explored this subject in detail in "The Facilitative Trainer" chapter of The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook. Today I hope I can help you identify how, if at all, this is happening for you, and offer a way of using questions that avoids the negative consequences above.

When I began my work as a trainer, I often resorted to subtly manipulative questions to achieve my goals in a training session. For example, I'd ask questions I already felt I knew the answer to in hopes that participants would get the "right" "Ahas". Trouble was, this was significantly limiting learning for everyone in ways I couldn't see.

Chris Argyris' research and our client work lead me to believe that this kind of questioning gets people defensive; they don't know why you're asking the questions, they guess, and their guesses often contain negative judgments about you or the training design. All this reduces your credibility and their learning.

I used the following four methods to dramatically reduce this kind of manipulation and increase my effectiveness as a trainer; I continue to use them with colleagues to improve our training work.

~ Identify whether and how you use questions manipulatively. Record and revisit your own training work and/or ask to be observed as you train. Assess where you were being transparent about your reasoning for asking your questions - and where you weren't.

~ Alone and with others, explore what beliefs led you to do this. For example, do your questions indicate you believe that the learners won't "get it" without your "guidance"? Do your questions indicate that there's only one "it" to get, and you know it in advance? These assumptions and beliefs won't be "nice" or "pretty", but until you discover them, you'll continue to act as if they were true, and get consequences you and your participants don't want.

~ Be transparent about the change you're trying to make. If you decide you want to change your approach, let clients, participants and colleagues know, and ask for their feedback- especially during the training.

This last step has turned out to be simply essential for us. When I've tried to avoid doing this, change has either taken much longer or didn't happen at all.

What are your reactions to my thoughts here? I invite you to email me with your thoughts.

? 2005 Matt Beane

Matt Beane is an associate with Roger Schwarz & Associates and co-authored a chapter of the recently published "Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook: Tips, Tools, and Tested Methods for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches," available on Amazon.com and via other quality booksellers.

This article was originally published in Fundamental Change, Roger Schwarz & Associates' free, monthly ezine. You can subscribe at: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/fundamental_change.html

In exchange for subscribing, you'll receive a link to a free .pdf copy of "Holding Risky Conversations," a chapter from our recently-published fieldbook.

We write Fundamental Change to help you create workplaces and communities that are simultaneously highly effective and that improve the quality of life.

Every month we:

* Address issues important to you as practitioners and leaders * Share client examples and case studies * Offer tips and tools for challenging situations * Offer resources to help you become more effective.

limo prices to midway Crystal Lake west of Randal .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The number of people affected by a UnitedHealth data breach in February 2024 was actually higher than previously reported and was the largest medical data breach in U.S. history.

A phishing campaign uses Google Calendar to schedule fake meeting invitations that appear legitimate, redirecting targets to phishing sites.

Toll road text scam: Fake messages claim unpaid fees, seek payment via fraudulent links. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this scam is becoming increasingly sophisticated and widespread.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says these steps ensure that your friends and family get to the exact moment you want them to see. Try it out and streamline your sharing experience.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers tips on how to protect your identity: Be vigilant, monitor accounts, use smart security, know theft response.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says cybercriminals are exploiting iMessage phishing protection, tricking users to reactivate links.

It's hard to imagine life without in-flight Wi-Fi these days – but sky-high web surfing comes with its own set of privacy concerns. Here's how to protect yourself.

Over 400,000 cases of credit card fraud were reported in 2024 to the Federal Trade Commission. The CyberGuy explains how to protect against becoming another victim.

A nondescript metal box transforms into a fully functional electric motorcycle that blurs the line between vehicle and urban infrastructure.

Many apps unrelated to location still ask users for tracking permission, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit seeking to end this alleged practice by Allstate.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Melody, the artificial intelligence-powered robot, is life-sized and represents a move toward creating robots that resemble people in appearance and interaction.

Here are five easy smartphone rules from the National Security Agency that you can follow to better protect your mobile device from hackers and scammers.

A U.S. robotics company has developed "Jennie," a robotic pet powered by artificial intelligence that's designed to comfort those facing mental health challenges.

Healthcare records for more than 184 million Americans were breached in 2024, but you can take steps to minimize that risk. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

The Skyrider X1 from Rictor claims to be the "first amphibious flying passenger motorcycle," and it combines land and air travel in one sleek design.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Home inventory and restoration apps help itemize and track every item in your home in the event you have to make an insurance claim after a natural disaster.

The White House launched a new cybersecurity safety label, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make informed decisions on smart device safety.

Today's tech can help make life so much easier — if you know how to use it. Here are a few tips on the quickest and best ways to make your phone, laptop and other devices work for you.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers Windows 11 restart fixes: Update drivers, run system scans and check hardware.

Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV launches with advanced tech and entertainment for $89,900. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives his takeaways.

With limited hard drive space, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers these tips for storing large video files and photos.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the $236,000 Yangwang U9 electric hypercar boasts 1,287 horsepower and can jump obstacles.

Leading the Witness: How Asking Questions as a Trainer Can Limit Learning and Reduce Trust

Team Building