Socratic Questions & Prompts … http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.

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Clarification Questions: • What is he/she assuming? • What values underlie that view?
• What could we assume instead? • Does that value match the goal? Why / not?
• What do you mean by __? • You seem to be assuming __. Do I understand you • Does that value reflect a concern for the basic needs and
• What is your main point? correctly? legitimate expectations of all stakeholders?
• How does ____ relate to ____? • You seem to be assuming __. How would you justify taking •
• Could you put that another way? this for granted?
• What do you think is the main issue here? • Is it always the case? Why do you think the assumption Origin or Source Questions:
• Let me see if I understand you; do you mean _____ or holds here?
_____? • Your reasoning depends on the idea that __. Why have you • Where did you get this idea?
• Can you summarize in your own words what John just said? based your reasoning on __ rather than __? • Did you originate this idea or get it from someone else?
John, is that what you meant? • Why would someone make this assumption? • Do your friends or family feel the same way?
• Could you give me an example? • How can you verify or disapprove that assumption? • Have you been influenced by media?
• Would this be an example: ____? • • Have you always felt this way?
• Could you explain that further? • What caused you to feel this way?
• Could you expand upon that? Reason and Evidence Probes: •
•
• What would be an example? Implication and Consequence Probes:
Questions About Initial Question or Issue: • How do you know?
• Why do you think that is true? • What are you implying by that?
• What further questions does this issue raise? • Do you have any evidence for that? • When you say ____, are you implying ____?
• Does this question lead to other questions or issues? • What difference does that make? • If that happened, what else would happen as a result?
• How can we find out? • What are your reasons for saying that? • What effect would that have?
• What does this question assume? • What other information do we need? • Would that necessarily or only probably happen?
• Would ____ put the question differently? • Could you explain your reasons to us? • What is the probability of this result?
• How could someone settle this question? • Are these reasons adequate? • What is an alternative?
• Can we break this question down at all? • Can you explain how you logically got from __ to ____? • If that is the case, then what else must also be true?
• Is the question clear? Do we understand it? • Do you see any difficulties with their reasoning? • If we say that this is unethical, how about that?
• Is the question easy or hard to answer? Why? • Why did you say that? •
• Does this question ask us to evaluate something? • What led you to that belief?
• Do we all agree that this is the question? • How does that apply to this case?
• To answer this question, what questions would we have to • What would change your mind? Viewpoint Questions:
answer first? • But is that good evidence to believe that?
• I'm not sure I understand how you are interpreting the main • Is there reason to doubt that evidence? • You seem to be approaching this issue from ____
question at issue. • Who is in a position to know if that is so? perspective. Why have you chosen this rather than that
• Is this the same issue as ____? • What would you say to someone who said __? perspective?
• How would ____ put this issue? • Can someone else give evidence to support that response? • How would other groups/types of people respond? Why?
• Why is this issue important? • By what reasoning did you come to that conclusion? What would influence them?
• Is this the most important question, or is there an underlying • How could we find out whether that is true? • How could you answer the objection that __ would make?
question that is really the issue? • Which of those reasons are facts, which are values? • What might someone who believed __ think?
• Why is this question important? • • Can or did anyone see this another way?
• • What would someone who disagrees say?
Values Questions: • What is an alternative?
Assumption Probes: • How are these two ideas alike? Different?
• What do you value that makes you say that?
• What are you assuming? • What do they value that makes them say that?