Maintaining mindfulness over how we are being inclusive
The questions we use to support Attention are intended to bridge the gaps that form between people – to better develop insight and compassion, and through that to increase listening, engagement and participation.
Key within this are the questions that stimulate self-reflection on our internal condition, and whether it is closed or open
Simple Questions
- Does everyone feel that the contributions are being properly heard and digested?
- How are we feeling within ourselves at the moment?
- How easy is it to contribute to this conversation for our quieter thinkers?
- Are we getting real diversity of opinion, and are all opinions being treated equally?
- If there was one brief thing that we would like to say to the group right now, what would that be?
- Who has been the most inclusive person in drawing people into the conversation in the last 10 minutes?
- Who seems to be most open in their responses currently?
- Who is asking the most (relevant) questions of the group currently?
- Who is making me feel good about my contributions?
- Tell me a story about a time when _____ [positive process/outcome] (For more information see Liberating Structures page on Appreciative Interviews)
Structured/Sequenced Questions
- Who is speaking most in this conversation and who is speaking least? Does that matter? What can we/they do about it?
- Is there a pause after each contribution to allow people to properly process what is said before they respond? How does this impact those who think about what they are hearing before they speak? What are we going to do about it?
- To what extent are we hearing the same statements repeated (perhaps in different ways)? Is this happening because people feel they weren’t properly heard the first time? What are we going to do about that?
- Is this conversation working for EVERYONE in its current format? If not, how should we consider changing it? (Paired working, fours, syndicates, sticky notes?)
Advanced Questions
It is easy when a meeting becomes tense for people to shift to a more closed mindset, and once one person goes that way, the result can be like a domino effect across everyone else. I say something judgemental to you, you go defensive and look cynically in response to someone else, and so it goes round and round – if we are not aware of what is going on in ourselves.
These three questions asked periodically of the group, help them to be more mindful of what they are feeling, and to make the necessary adjustments:
- To what extent are we judging what we are hearing and seeing, … or … we are becoming curious about it?
- To what extent are we being cynical about situations, … or … feeling compassion for those who are involved?
- To what extent are we sensing stress and defensiveness in our bodies, … or … the energy that accompanies courage?