When The Uncomfortable Question Brings You New Perspectives
A simple question to use when a group is blocked in a problem solving exercise
There are moments in solution-orientated / problem-solving workshops where some or one participant stays stuck on one idea. As a facilitator, you want to guide them to check different perspectives.
If you let them boil “in their own juice” you can either be lucky that one of them manages to do this trick for you and help the others or not…
Obviously if not, the outcome that they want is not achieved. Or a valuable one at least.
Usually, people associate specific experiences with a pattern and solving of a certain type of problem. They arrive in similar places with the solutions. So it is hard to take another way than usual. Especially when a group of people are working long time with each other.
In the following lines, I will share with you one powerful question that can help the brain switch to another perspective.
So what’s the question?
“What do you think about this topic and it is possible that it is not true?”
This question may be uncomfortable to answer.
Tell them this upfront.
It is also quite often that this question has first the answer “Nothing” / “I do not know” :) Invite them to give it another try.
As soon as they overcome the uncomfortable, they will arrive in the creative phase.
Bottom lines:
Uncomfortable questions help a lot, this one supports finding new perspectives, new ways to solve a problem, finding a new path, and so on.
Of course, you can apply it in any area of your life, not only in facilitation :) I do.