I applied this week's live with "Asking Dumb questions" at work yesterday morning. My questions would really not qualify as dumb questions, but it did take some effort on my end as I was asking these questions to one of the directors during a meeting. And everyone working on this project is expected to have knowledge in this area to some extent.
Right before I was ready to ask my questions, my VOJ came up doubting my need to ask these questions and I had to ignore it. These questions were really not significant to the project itself but helped me better understand some of the external factors impacting the project. His answers shed some new light on the project, which benefitted everyone on the project. Overall I’m glad I asked my questions.
I realized something about asking questions that I would like to share with you.
Usually, I like to present my research work to different groups of people. I feel happy if somebody in the audience asks me a question that makes me think further about this problem I am trying to solve. Some of the questions are directed towards my assumptions.
What I realized after reading the material and attending the class is the following. If I carefully ask such questions to myself, I may hit the optimal solution quicker. Instead of completely relying on feedback that I get after my presentations, I should also be more active in asking questions myself.
Last Sunday I went to Santa Clara Library to attend a seminar on voter education. Initially I struggled to decide whether to spend 2 hours on driving and 3 hours in attending the seminar when I could have been preparing for my BUS-17 readings. But then I thought, attending the seminar is essentially an experience of listening (pay attention) and asking (dumb) questions, so what am I waiting for?
During the seminar I was unsure of the precise meaning of an important term that many may already know, but knowing that the purpose of my being there is to listen and ask, I went ahead with the question anyway. I got the answer, and had some new question for further clarification, but then my cell phone was buzzing on vibration alert. It distracted me and I didn't focus to bring up the follow-up question. This experience taught me that I should be focused on the listening and the question even when other interferences exist.
A little more dumb question I asked at the seminar was: why did the TV ads against Prop. 7 claim small renewable energy producers will lose their jobs, when the bill will put a lot of demand on big utilities to buy from (big and small) renewable energy producers (even at above market prices) in order to fulfill their renewable quota? In all likelihood, the small renewable energy producers will make a lot of money from it because the demand from the renewable quota will be very high. The presenter concurred that it is a sound question, and it seems only certain specific small renewable energy producers may suffer a setback. The answer suggests that the arguments in those against-Prop.7 ads are not very solid on a factual basis.
I don't want to make our blog sound like a political debate forum, but rather I am sharing my experience of asking the dumb questions, and in doing so I have uncovered more information and insights into these matters.
I really enjoy how the concepts of the class build upon one another. For example, last week during class when the sign-in sheet was passed to me I had trouble picking a famous person I wanted to have dinner with. I found myself pressured into choosing someone that I hoped when others read the name they would think, "hmm, whoever chose that person is really clever and insightful." The VOJ was telling me my worth was based on how enviable or cool my answer was. In reality this made it even harder to pick someone because my focus was on what other people thought rather than picking a name. In the seemingly same instant a question popped into my head, "Why am focused on what other people think?" That question led to more questions and more realizations about the situation. In the end I realized that a lot of the external pressures I was putting on myself in making the decision weren't even real. I ended up just writing down a name that, at that moment, I wanted to talk to.
Hey!! Mark that was exactly what was going in my mind too…I guess it’s true your choice of leader does reflect the attributes you are vying to achieve.
I tried asking myself a lot of questions this week. It is surprising how we ask so many questions to people we meet, but ingeniously avoid the same our own context. I forced myself to ask - • Did I bring any unresolved questions, problems, conflicts, etc. from the previous period in my life, into the present period? • If yes, are they posing a liability in my moving forward?
I know these questions need a careful thought, facing realities I have ignored, but with the exercise – “Question how” exercise for possible answers I am determined to come clear. I did know it was going to be tough but two-three cycles later, I found it extremely hard. Yes, I admit it forced me to accept I was selfish at times in trying to steer my way. But it was also an eye-opener. I’m still working on it.
My only concern is it alright if it takes time getting answers. I had to quit writing the answers down a couple of times because the exercise got very heavy. Is it normal, or am I putting in too much effort. Pls. advise.
I found my problem to be mostly mental slowness. :( By the time I had formed a question (that's actually thought of one, not thinking it over & over until it's a perfect one), the topic of my question had already finished and another started. I eventually managed to ask the question but just privately, not in front of a group - and I didn't even get the direct answer I expected but a more circuitous one), but maybe that's because I didn't frame the question well?
Between Oct 27th and 31st I was at vancouver attending a technical conference on multimedia. It was a perfect time to attend the conference as I had just learnt about asking penetrating questions as one of the tools for creativity.
I noticed that I was asking more questions about the presentations with a genuine reason to know more. In my earlier conferences, I used ask some questions to which I thought I knew the answers. This time I was more open and was willing to hear what the presenter had to respond.
As a result of my questions, I now have opportunity to collaborate with other researchers in a different field.
I have tried to work with the "ask dumb question" I will start to explained my personal experience with DQ (dumb questions.) I started a year ago to “aggressively” ask clarifying question, which I see as questions that “soft DQ.” This is the questions you ask when people say “you know the great philosopher Soren Kierkegaard ,right?!” or “you have read shakespires, hamlet?!” I learned myself of not being afraid of saying “no, I don’t know, I wish I did, so why don’t you tell me about him?” I first thought of that as being DQ, but after reading and attending class I learned that real DQ is questions that have an exploring and fundamental essence. Questions that is “not dead-ended, not equette oriented, accusatory, argumentive or shallow (RAY). Questions that as I see that is maybe dumb, but is the essence of it all. I tried to use it in an exercise we were doing in the MBA program that I follow. We were working in groups and I using some new business theory. The whole group was getting very upset about theory really trying to make it fit our case. During the skype conference call meeting, we all had different opinions of how the model could be used and nothing really fitted that well. It was like the case should be squeezed to the model (Abells model of marketing.) I realized then and there that we were taken the wrong approach and I dared to ask the stupid question: “What are we actually doing?” one person got irritated and said, “We are working on this model” I said “I thought we were working on a case and not a model.” Everybody could see that we obviously had taken the wrong approach (and that I was the boy that said that the “king was naked” ref the intro story) In the end we choose to only use ideas from the model since it would not fit. One of the questions that I found interesting in Rays test was “what is it that I am not seeing” I instantly thought of this course since that is why I took it. I knew that it was going to be a new way of seeing creativity and it is still a little fuzzy how it is done (-:
8 comments:
I applied this week's live with "Asking Dumb questions" at work yesterday morning. My questions would really not qualify as dumb questions, but it did take some effort on my end as I was asking these questions to one of the directors during a meeting. And everyone working on this project is expected to have knowledge in this area to some extent.
Right before I was ready to ask my questions, my VOJ came up doubting my need to ask these questions and I had to ignore it. These questions were really not significant to the project itself but helped me better understand some of the external factors impacting the project. His answers shed some new light on the project, which benefitted everyone on the project. Overall I’m glad I asked my questions.
I realized something about asking questions that I would like to share with you.
Usually, I like to present my research work to different groups of people. I feel happy if somebody in the audience asks me a question that makes me think further about this problem I am trying to solve. Some of the questions are directed towards my assumptions.
What I realized after reading the material and attending the class is the following. If I carefully ask such questions to myself, I may hit the optimal solution quicker. Instead of completely relying on feedback that I get after my presentations, I should also be more active in asking questions myself.
please let me know any thoughts you have on this.
Thanks
best regards
regu
Last Sunday I went to Santa Clara Library to attend a seminar on voter education. Initially I struggled to decide whether to spend 2 hours on driving and 3 hours in attending the seminar when I could have been preparing for my BUS-17 readings. But then I thought, attending the seminar is essentially an experience of listening (pay attention) and asking (dumb) questions, so what am I waiting for?
During the seminar I was unsure of the precise meaning of an important term that many may already know, but knowing that the purpose of my being there is to listen and ask, I went ahead with the question anyway. I got the answer, and had some new question for further clarification, but then my cell phone was buzzing on vibration alert. It distracted me and I didn't focus to bring up the follow-up question. This experience taught me that I should be focused on the listening and the question even when other interferences exist.
A little more dumb question I asked at the seminar was: why did the TV ads against Prop. 7 claim small renewable energy producers will lose their jobs, when the bill will put a lot of demand on big utilities to buy from (big and small) renewable energy producers (even at above market prices) in order to fulfill their renewable quota? In all likelihood, the small renewable energy producers will make a lot of money from it because the demand from the renewable quota will be very high. The presenter concurred that it is a sound question, and it seems only certain specific small renewable energy producers may suffer a setback. The answer suggests that the arguments in those against-Prop.7 ads are not very solid on a factual basis.
I don't want to make our blog sound like a political debate forum, but rather I am sharing my experience of asking the dumb questions, and in doing so I have uncovered more information and insights into these matters.
I really enjoy how the concepts of the class build upon one another. For example, last week during class when the sign-in sheet was passed to me I had trouble picking a famous person I wanted to have dinner with. I found myself pressured into choosing someone that I hoped when others read the name they would think, "hmm, whoever chose that person is really clever and insightful." The VOJ was telling me my worth was based on how enviable or cool my answer was. In reality this made it even harder to pick someone because my focus was on what other people thought rather than picking a name. In the seemingly same instant a question popped into my head, "Why am focused on what other people think?" That question led to more questions and more realizations about the situation. In the end I realized that a lot of the external pressures I was putting on myself in making the decision weren't even real. I ended up just writing down a name that, at that moment, I wanted to talk to.
Hey!! Mark that was exactly what was going in my mind too…I guess it’s true your choice of leader does reflect the attributes you are vying to achieve.
I tried asking myself a lot of questions this week. It is surprising how we ask so many questions to people we meet, but ingeniously avoid the same our own context. I forced myself to ask -
• Did I bring any unresolved questions, problems, conflicts, etc. from the previous period in my life, into the present period?
• If yes, are they posing a liability in my moving forward?
I know these questions need a careful thought, facing realities I have ignored, but with the exercise – “Question how” exercise for possible answers I am determined to come clear. I did know it was going to be tough but two-three cycles later, I found it extremely hard. Yes, I admit it forced me to accept I was selfish at times in trying to steer my way. But it was also an eye-opener. I’m still working on it.
My only concern is it alright if it takes time getting answers. I had to quit writing the answers down a couple of times because the exercise got very heavy. Is it normal, or am I putting in too much effort. Pls. advise.
Regards
Ruchi.
I found my problem to be mostly mental slowness. :( By the time I had formed a question (that's actually thought of one, not thinking it over & over until it's a perfect one), the topic of my question had already finished and another started. I eventually managed to ask the question but just privately, not in front of a group - and I didn't even get the direct answer I expected but a more circuitous one), but maybe that's because I didn't frame the question well?
Between Oct 27th and 31st I was at vancouver attending a technical conference on multimedia. It was a perfect time to attend the conference as I had just learnt about asking penetrating questions as one of the tools for creativity.
I noticed that I was asking more questions about the presentations with a genuine reason to know more. In my earlier conferences, I used ask some questions to which I thought I knew the answers. This time I was more open and was willing to hear what the presenter had to respond.
As a result of my questions, I now have opportunity to collaborate with other researchers in a different field.
I have tried to work with the "ask dumb question" I will start to explained my personal experience with DQ (dumb questions.)
I started a year ago to “aggressively” ask clarifying question, which I see as questions that “soft DQ.” This is the questions you ask when people say “you know the great philosopher Soren Kierkegaard ,right?!” or “you have read shakespires, hamlet?!” I learned myself of not being afraid of saying “no, I don’t know, I wish I did, so why don’t you tell me about him?”
I first thought of that as being DQ, but after reading and attending class I learned that real DQ is questions that have an exploring and fundamental essence. Questions that is “not dead-ended, not equette oriented, accusatory, argumentive or shallow (RAY). Questions that as I see that is maybe dumb, but is the essence of it all.
I tried to use it in an exercise we were doing in the MBA program that I follow. We were working in groups and I using some new business theory. The whole group was getting very upset about theory really trying to make it fit our case. During the skype conference call meeting, we all had different opinions of how the model could be used and nothing really fitted that well. It was like the case should be squeezed to the model (Abells model of marketing.) I realized then and there that we were taken the wrong approach and I dared to ask the stupid question: “What are we actually doing?” one person got irritated and said, “We are working on this model” I said “I thought we were working on a case and not a model.” Everybody could see that we obviously had taken the wrong approach (and that I was the boy that said that the “king was naked” ref the intro story)
In the end we choose to only use ideas from the model since it would not fit.
One of the questions that I found interesting in Rays test was “what is it that I am not seeing” I instantly thought of this course since that is why I took it. I knew that it was going to be a new way of seeing creativity and it is still a little fuzzy how it is done (-:
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