Tools

“My life changed when I asked this question..”

We often hear this sentence by celebrities who tell us through their interviews, that by asking them a question by journalists or media professionals, made them think whether I am on the right path in my life or not, and sometimes this question contributes to moving their life path.

Usually it is considered that children are the group that asks questions the most ,mainly to their parents.

And it can cause impatience and boredom to many parents, who are unaware that these questions are the tool that is a point of human learning to know the relationship between cause and effect and affect. This also applies to adults, but in a different way during their life learning journey.

What do we gain from asking questions?

First: It opens up options and possibilities for new perceptions that may be far from our thinking space.

Second: It helps us to innovate, create, or even think outside the box. Asking questions helps us to understand anything about a particular issue in a more deeper way.

In addition to this, it helps us to build trust with the people around us, expand our knowledge of them, and solidify the relationship with them.

and Here’s the question: How does asking questions stimulate change and find solutions?

Let’s remember the appreciative inquiry assumption that says: Asking questions affects the direction in which people, communities, and organizations go.

We all ask and question, but not every question we ask is a strong question.

There are many types of powerful questions, the Leadership in Community Development program focuses on two types of questions:

The first type is the exploratory questions, or what we call meaning questions that help me to understand, know and explore the facts around me, whether it is on an individual level, I ask myself, or on the level of the other, to ask them or even on a societal level.

An example of this would be asking myself, what is the point of the work I do, or what resources and strengths my community has.

The second type is interventional questions, They stimulate change and encourage people to construct the appropriate procedure for their interventions within their communities.

for example, How can I involve my community in my initiative or campaign?

Our role as community leaders can begin to think about the kind of questions we ask, are they strong enough? and the language I use in my questions is it free of assumptions? and does it consider the different environments in which I intervene?

It is our responsibility to ask our questions vigorously, and maintain the language in which we work.

it needs a lot of training, but there it is a responsibility in your hands as community leaders.

We will move to the second tool, which is the observation tool

Depending on the image shown, there are people who see a polluted environment or a dirty street or a child beggar or even an old man suffering, on the other hand, there are people who see a laundry line, an old man sitting, or a child on the corner of the street, or a plastic package on the street.

So what is the difference between these two groups?

The first group: based their observations on their personal opinions or even on their assumptions and beliefs.

While the second group: they observed, that is, they give the facts as they are, and saw things with their own eyes without any change or development of an opinion or belief.

In addition to this, when I say an observation, I give the truth as I see it, or even hear it, with impartiality without laying down any personal belief, opinion, or assumption that I have gained through my life experiences.

Based on this , the Leadership in Community Development program presents observation as a tool that the community leader uses in his work on 3 levels,  because it helps us to explore needs based on what we see and not on what we think, thus, we are able to describe the reality as it is and not as we think, which may hinder our access to interventions or even our acceptance from the community which we are addressing.

The power of questions or observations are some of the tools offered by the Leadership in Community Development program. It remains the responsibility of you to seek and adopt additional tools that stimulate positive change in community leaders.