Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy
Presenter: Carolyn McKanders
Director, Thinking Collaborative
Adaptive Schools Seminars
Thinking Collaborative, 2013
www.thinkingcollaborative.com
Three Types of Paraphrase
Summary and Symbols
Acknowledge / Clarify / Summarize / Organize / Shift Level of AbstractionA brief statement in the listener’s own words. / A statement that offers themes or “containers”. / A statement that shifts the conversation to a higher OR lower conceptual level.
Metaphorically…
…a mirror /
Metaphorically…
… baskets
or containers / Metaphorically…
…an escalator
or elevator
Listen for detail. / Listen for themes
and patterns. / Listen “beneath the story” for meanings.
v You’re concerned about…
v You would like to see…
v You’re feeling sorry about… / v You seem to have two perspectives here: one is about ____, and the other is about ____.
v You seem to be struggling with three themes:
where to ______,
how to ______, and
who should ______.
v On the one hand we ____,
And on the other hand we ____. / Shifting up:
v Value
v Belief
v Goal
v Assumption
v Concept
v Category
v Intention
Shifting down:
v Example
v Non-example
QUALITIES OF AN INVITATIONAL QUESTION
The human brain is hard-wired to detect threat. Therefore, questions that invite thinking must be perceived as psychologically safe and have the following characteristics.
1. Asked in an approachable voice.
An approachable voice has a wide range of modulation and tends to curl up at the end of a statement. This is the voice of receiving information in
contrast to the credible voice, which curls down at the
end of sentences and used for giving directions or information
2. Use plural forms
“What are reasons for . . .?”
“What strategies are you . . .?”
3. Use exploratory/tentative language
“What might be your thoughts about . . .?”
“What are some of the possibilities . . .?”
“What are your hunches about . . .?”
4. Use positive presuppositions- presume that a person has capacity
“As you examine the data, what are some of the similarities and differences that are emerging?”
Given your experience as a parent, what might be some positive ways to support your child?
“What might be your indicators that you are successful?”
5. Are open-ended: Can’t be answered with “yes” or “no” or with one word.
What is your thinking about…? Vs Have you thought about…?
Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy
A) Inquiry Examples
1. Invite others to make their thinking visible, creating psychological safety.
· Attend fully –
Be physically and emotionally present with others.
· Use an approachable voice –
Tonal quality signals our intention to inquire, not interrogate.
· Use plural forms –
Plurals open the questions, producing more than one possible appropriate answer.
· Use exploratory language –
Qualify your questions and make them “safer” to answer
“What are some of . . . How might you . . . What are your hunches about . . . ?”
· Use non-dichotomous questions –
These are questions that cannot be answered “yes” or “no” or “true” or “false.”
· Use positive presuppositions –
These language forms assume capacity and positive intentions. “Given your knowledge of . . . . ” As an experienced professional . . . .”
· Use a pattern of pausing, paraphrasing, pausing again before posing a question.
2. Inquire for the elements of the advocacy template that the speaker has not yet illuminated.
· Describe the focus of your advocacy –
“What are some of your assumptions about this issue?”
· Describe your reasoning –
“Given your concern and knowledge of this issue, what are some of the observations and data that are influencing you?”
· Describe your feelings –
“What are some of your feelings about this issue?”
· Distinguish data from interpretation –
“Help us to understand some of your interpretation of the data?”
· Reveal your perspective –
“What are some of the perspectives you are considering as you reflect on this issue?”
· Frame the wider context that surrounds this issue –
“As you consider the bigger picture, what are some of the factors and possible ripple effects that might be involved?”
· Give concrete examples –
“What are some examples that occur to you about how this might play out?”
Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy
B) From Inquiry to Advocacy
1. Signal your intention to shift from inquiring to advocating.
Gesture, posture, voice qualities and silence have contextual meaning based on the setting and verbal message. Mark your intentions to transition from inquiry to advocacy with some of these forms of paralanguage.
For example:
· Shift your body –
To signal a shift in the direction of the conversational energy
· Break eye contact –
To momentarily break rapport.
· Pause –
To “gently interrupt” the speaker and refocus attention
· Employ a frozen gesture – To nonverbally hold the pause
· Use an approachable voice – To maintain psychological safety
· Use transition stems –
To relate your new thought to the flow of the conversation
2. Use transition stems: PAUSE, PARAPRASE, And…
· “Here is a related thought . . . ”
· “I hold it another way . . . ”
· “Hmmm, from another perspective . . . ”
· “An additional idea might be . . . ”
· “An assumption I’m exploring is . . . ”
· “Taking that one step further . . . ”
Balancing Inquiry and Advocacy
C) Advocacy Examples
1. Make your thinking and reasoning visible.
· Describe the focus of your advocacy –
“An issue that is important to me is . . . ” “My assumptions are . . . ”
· Describe your reasoning –
“I came to this conclusion because . . . ”
· Describe your feelings – “I feel ______about this.”
· Distinguish data from interpretation –
“This is the data I have as objectively as I can state it. Now here is what I think the data means.”
· Reveal your perspective –
“I’m seeing this from the viewpoint of ______or ______or ______.”
· Frame the wider context that surrounds this issue – “Several groups would be affected by what I propose . . . ”
· Give concrete examples –
“To get a clear picture, imagine that you are in school X . . . ”
2. Test your assumptions and conclusions.
· Encourage others to explore your model, assumptions and data – “What do you think about what I just said? Do you see any flaws in my reasoning? What can you add?”
· Reveal where you are least clear –
“Here’s one area you might help me think through . . . ”
· Stay open and encourage others to provide different views – “Do you see it differently?”
· Search for distortions, deletions and generalizations –
“In what I’ve presented, do you believe I might have over-generalized, or left out data or reported data incorrectly?”
Senge, P.M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R.B., & Smith, B.J. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook. New York, NY: Doubleda
INQUIRY AND ADVOCACY TEMPLATE
What are some of your assumptions about this issue? / FOCUS / An issue that is important to me is…My assumptions are…What are some of the reasons for this assumption? / REASONING / I came to this conclusion because…
What are some of your feelings about this issue? / FEELINGS / I feel ____ about this.
Help us understand some of your interpretation of the data? / INTERPRETATION
OF DATA / Here is the data____, and here’s what I think it means….
What are some of the perspectives you are considering as you reflect on this issue? / PERSPECTIVES / I’m seeing this from the viewpoint of _____ , and _____.
As you consider the bigger picture, what are some of the factors and possible ripple effects? / CONTEXT / Several groups would be affected by what I propose…
What are some examples of how this might play out? / EXAMPLES / Here is a concrete example…