How to ask questions.

The Rabbi · Apr 3, 2012

Some cogent advice for many posters here, right and left:

The best reason to ask a question is to contribute to the quality of the discussion that has already begun. You can do this if you can draw something more and perhaps unexpected out of the speaker you are addressing. Mr. Rasputin, I admire your tunic. Do you consider fashion to be a revolutionary statement?

Think of yourself as someone who seeks to enhance the occasion, rather than as an opportunity to show yourself to advantage. Mr. Darwin, your description of odd wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is fascinating. Do you think evolution works differently on large continents?

You have not been invited to give a speech. Before you stand up, boil your thoughts down to a single point. Then ask yourself if this point is something you want to assert or something you want to find out. There are exceptions, but if your point falls into the category of assertion, you should probably remain seated. Mr. Nixon, you are unworthy of being president, is not a question. Mr. Nixon, what else would you have done as president if Watergate hadnt gotten in the way? is a question.

Question periods are not really the right time to ask for factual details. You are not interviewing the speaker. Mr. Hillary, what brand of shoes were you wearing when you topped Everest? is a real question but not one that is likely to enhance the discussion. There are exceptions to this, as when the fact you ask about evokes a larger meaning. Mr. Hillary, what do you consider was the most important piece of equipment you carried in your assault on Mt. Everest?

Likewise, never offer up a roll call of your own facts or belabor them into a Perry Mason pseudo-question. Mr. Malthus, are you aware that as economic development proceeds, birth rates decline, and that crop yields can be multiplied by a factor of x with the proper use of fertilizers, genetically-enhanced hybrid species, and market-based incentives?

Weigh the usual interrogatory words in English: who, what, where, why, when. If you can begin your sentence with one of these you are more than half-way to a good question. Who gave you that scar, Mr. Potter? What is a black hole, Mr. Hawking? Where is the Celestial City, Mr. Bunyan? Why are you wearing that letter, Ms. Prynne? When will our troops come home, Mr. Lincoln?

You will discover that, if you think in terms of these simple interrogatories, you will be able to skip right over the prologue. The right question evokes its own context. If, having formulated a question, you still think you need to set the stage for it, try again.

Dont engage in meta-speech. I was wondering, Ms. Steinem, if I might ask you a question that I am really curious about. Go directly to the question. Ms. Steinem, who is the man you admire the most?

Look at the person you are addressing. Speak your question directly; dont read it. Wait for the answer before you sit down. Dont try to ask a follow-up question. If the speaker evaded your question the first time, he will evade it again. If the audience applauds your question, you are grandstanding and have failed an important test of civility.

The best questions are poised between attentiveness to what the speaker has already said and the chance to deepen the discussion. That means you should not try to introduce a divergent topic. I appreciate your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster, Mr. Feynman, but are you not morally troubled by your work on the atomic bomb? attempts to wrench the discussion to a new place. But, Mr. Feynman, your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster shows the frailty of human judgment. How do you think that bears on other areas of advanced technology? builds on the theme at hand.

A few people have a gift for witty, memorable questions. You probably arent one of them. It doesnt matter. A concise, clear question is an important contribution in its own right.
Click to expand...

More at the source.
How to Ask a Question - Innovations - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Decepticon · Apr 3, 2012

But how will CON convince an inheritance tax is actually a "DEATH TAX" if they aren't allowed to stack the deck?

imbalance · Apr 3, 2012

Ed Spacer · Apr 3, 2012

Most liberals dont have the braincellpower to comprehend such details.
see how they respond to my posts.

Robert_Stephens · Apr 3, 2012

then, what is "The Great Attractor" that we have been discovered to be racing toward along 41% of everything in this quadrant of the universe at 6% the speed of light and we are accelerating towards this unknown and no one knows why........

Robert

konradv · Apr 3, 2012

The Rabbi said: ↑

Some cogent advice for many posters here, right and left:

The best reason to ask a question is to contribute to the quality of the discussion that has already begun. You can do this if you can draw something more and perhaps unexpected out of the speaker you are addressing. Mr. Rasputin, I admire your tunic. Do you consider fashion to be a revolutionary statement?

Think of yourself as someone who seeks to enhance the occasion, rather than as an opportunity to show yourself to advantage. Mr. Darwin, your description of odd wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is fascinating. Do you think evolution works differently on large continents?

You have not been invited to give a speech. Before you stand up, boil your thoughts down to a single point. Then ask yourself if this point is something you want to assert or something you want to find out. There are exceptions, but if your point falls into the category of assertion, you should probably remain seated. Mr. Nixon, you are unworthy of being president, is not a question. Mr. Nixon, what else would you have done as president if Watergate hadnt gotten in the way? is a question.

Question periods are not really the right time to ask for factual details. You are not interviewing the speaker. Mr. Hillary, what brand of shoes were you wearing when you topped Everest? is a real question but not one that is likely to enhance the discussion. There are exceptions to this, as when the fact you ask about evokes a larger meaning. Mr. Hillary, what do you consider was the most important piece of equipment you carried in your assault on Mt. Everest?

Likewise, never offer up a roll call of your own facts or belabor them into a Perry Mason pseudo-question. Mr. Malthus, are you aware that as economic development proceeds, birth rates decline, and that crop yields can be multiplied by a factor of x with the proper use of fertilizers, genetically-enhanced hybrid species, and market-based incentives?

Weigh the usual interrogatory words in English: who, what, where, why, when. If you can begin your sentence with one of these you are more than half-way to a good question. Who gave you that scar, Mr. Potter? What is a black hole, Mr. Hawking? Where is the Celestial City, Mr. Bunyan? Why are you wearing that letter, Ms. Prynne? When will our troops come home, Mr. Lincoln?

You will discover that, if you think in terms of these simple interrogatories, you will be able to skip right over the prologue. The right question evokes its own context. If, having formulated a question, you still think you need to set the stage for it, try again.

Dont engage in meta-speech. I was wondering, Ms. Steinem, if I might ask you a question that I am really curious about. Go directly to the question. Ms. Steinem, who is the man you admire the most?

Look at the person you are addressing. Speak your question directly; dont read it. Wait for the answer before you sit down. Dont try to ask a follow-up question. If the speaker evaded your question the first time, he will evade it again. If the audience applauds your question, you are grandstanding and have failed an important test of civility.

The best questions are poised between attentiveness to what the speaker has already said and the chance to deepen the discussion. That means you should not try to introduce a divergent topic. I appreciate your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster, Mr. Feynman, but are you not morally troubled by your work on the atomic bomb? attempts to wrench the discussion to a new place. But, Mr. Feynman, your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster shows the frailty of human judgment. How do you think that bears on other areas of advanced technology? builds on the theme at hand.

A few people have a gift for witty, memorable questions. You probably arent one of them. It doesnt matter. A concise, clear question is an important contribution in its own right.
Click to expand...

More at the source.
How to Ask a Question - Innovations - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Click to expand...

You need one about answering questions. They should be answered as written, not twisted in meaning and then answered. That's also a common form of "intellectual dishonesty" on the board.

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How to ask questions.

The Rabbi Diamond Member

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