Raising sensible, challenging,

thought provoking questions

in public forums/panel
discussions
Prepared by: Ms. Leah Belle M. Solinap
Pre-assessment:
Have you participated in a class
discussion? How did you do it? One
way by which you can show your
understanding to a discussion is to raise
sensible and thought-provoking
questions.
What’s New
A Thought-Provoking Question

is a type of question that causes you to

think seriously about something. It
contains interesting ideas that can
make you think a lot.
They are open-ended. These are
questions that usually start with “WHY”
and “HOW”.
A Thought-Provoking Question

A good question can spark an interesting

discussion that will leave the audience
informed and entertained. In an open
forum or a panel discussion, thought-
provoking questions being raised make the
discussion lively and interesting. It gives
meaning and enlightens the participants
from the things they do not know.
 Panel Discussion
it involves a group of people discussing
a topic in front of an audience. This type
of discussion normally includes a
moderator who is in charge of guiding
the panelists (group of experts) in
answering important questions and
sharing insights about certain issues.
 Panel Discussion
On the other hand, a public forum, also
called an open forum, is a situation in
which people may discuss an issue or a
topic of public interest. It is where people
are free to express their thoughts/ideas.
This means that the audience in this
gathering will take part in a conversation
about a specific subject or issue.
How to construct thought-provoking
questions
1. Always begin with the basic question
what is…?
2. Know the reasons a certain topic has to
be discussed by asking “Why”.
3. Intensify your question by raising a
thought requiring one. You may phrase it
by asking, “How or What if”.
How to construct thought-provoking
questions

4. Remember to always end your time by

giving positive feedback whether they
provide you correct and reasonable
answers or not.
Five Strategies on
How to Raise
Thought
Provoking
Questions
 1. Do a Research.
Do research on the topic, the panelist, and
the audience to know what to raise when you
are asked to participate in the discussion.
2. Make a list of potential questions from
your research.
Examples:
– Why is the topic important nowadays?
– What are the important points that need to be
discovered in this topic?
– What is the most essential and common
question on everyone’s mind?
3. Choose the most essential
question.
Choose questions that you think are
important to the topic.
4. Sequence your Questions
Your questions should be ordered so that
the panel members and the audience
understand every bit of information.
 Strategic- start with questions that
are designed to discuss what is
happening in the world.
Examples: Why do family conflicts exist?
Why are children affected when
family conflicts occur?
 Specific – ask specific questions
where the panelists are more
inclined to show concrete
examples.
Example: What evidence proves that family
conflicts can damage a relationship?
 Application – ask questions with
substantial value and have the
ability to apply the information.
Example: Why do we need to resolve
conflicts in our family?
5. Rephrase and finalize your question.
 Start short questions for the audience
and panel members to have a focus on
understanding the concept thus,
rephrasing your question is necessary.
After rephrasing you are now ready to
finalize your questions.
What I Can Do
Assessment