Essay on 24 Hours of Inquiry

Assumptions behind the questions

The 24-hour inquiry tracking has revealed a lot of information about the world. Before formulating appropriate questions, it is important to be aware of the assumptions and use them in the right direction. Assumptions can be both explicit or implicit. This means they may or may not be shared within the involving group. Powerful questions can challenge the existing assumptions of people (Vogt & Einstein, 1994). Within these two days of interaction, I have been asked personal questions, such as, whether I am aspiring to be an engineer. This question is based on the assumption that I have a background in science.

During inquiry session, I have been asked about my family structure, whether I live with my parents and other extended members of my family. Such a question is based on the assumption that I am rooted to Indian culture and our tradition is to have a joint family structure. I also asked questions related to the preferred language of the foreigners, whether French or English. This is based on the assumption that they have lived in France for a longer period of their lives and have adapted to such a culture. Another question asked my me was related to the family structure of these people. I assumed that they have a nuclear family, as per western tradition.

Impact of questions I asked on others

Throughout the inquiry session, I asked questions related to various areas of personal and professional lives. When I asked questions about professional fields, people were delighted to answer the questions. They were excited and energised to discuss about their chosen career or future plans. However, questions related to personal lives were not strongly or explicitly answered by the people. Some of them felt it is not very easy to open up about personal lives. Some of them answered these questions very indirectly as they felt very awkward to interact on their personal lives. Overall, the session related to professional field has been well answered than other fields.

Impact of questions others asked on you

Similar to my questions, I have also been asked about my family structure, my ethnic culture, place of origin, my future career aspirations and my relationship with family members. I felt the questions were quite powerful as they already had an idea of my family and career backgrounds. No question was asked out of context. I could easily answer most of the questions without any hesitation. While I responded to the questions, I tried to provide examples so that my answers provide new avenues, which were never considered before (Bélanger & Rao, 2019). I have experimented with my ability to generate insights for my future career.

Framing of a different question

Framing better question is an ability that helps in pioneering the world of powerful questions. In public conversation projects, groups work together to create constructive dialogues on various public issues. It is important to consider whether the question is relevant to real life or work of the people. The question should be able to invite fresh thinking, so that there are new and innovative responses from the respondents (Hills, 2018). Powerful questions always have embedded assumptions, which help in constructing the matter of the question. The question should provide room for further discussions. The question should be able to generate hope, possibilities, creative action and engagement.

In the personal area, I could have framed some of the questions very differently. I asked questions related to linguistic preferences of the people. Instead, I could have asked questions regarding the most desirable language in the professional area, whether French or English. This will provide opportunity to get more involved in the discussion and come up with points that can drive this debate forward. I might have framed professional questions differently. I asked about their future career aspirations. Instead, I could have related it with my ambition and explore the various dimensions of the subject.

New Insights

The 24-hour inquiry tracking has helped me to ponder about a lot of arenas. We interacted on a wide range of topics, starting from career to family relationships. I thought the questions asked to me were quite powerful and specific. I could answer these questions without much hesitation and there was a free flow to the interaction. I have generated new insights on the important subjects that are preferred all around the globe. I have also learnt words of few foreign languages during the conversation. I also acquired knowledge regarding the family relationships in various parts of the world. As I interacted with the people, I also created new assumptions, which can be useful during future interactions. I also learnt cultures prevailing in different countries and compared them with that of my native culture. Questioning is a very important art, which can pave ways for new opportunities and make a person well informed of the world.

References

Bélanger, A., & Rao, P. (2019). The Art of Questioning: Using Powerful Questions and Appreciative Inquiry Conversations to Understand Values and Needs. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/library_presentations/79/

Hills, L. (2018). Staff Coaching: Using Active Listening and Powerful Questions to Unleash Your Staff’s Potential. The Journal of Medical Practice Management: MPM, 33(5), 302-308. https://www.proquest.com/openview/5fbc662a3cc6eebd6343159c164f7a92/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=32264

Vogt, E. E., & Einstein, A. (1994). The art and architecture of powerful questions. MicroMentor Corporate Learning Journal. Available through eric. vogt@ interclass. com. http://www.cashflow88.com/decisiones/powerfulquestions.pdf