Asking questions

Overview

There are many types of questions and the reason behind a question can be as important as the question itself.  As mentors we want to ask questions that help mentees develop, identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as invite the mentee to challenge perceptions. 

Theoretical perspectives

Questions come in many forms and can largely be said to operate in different modes.  As mentors we can strive to identify the right type of questions and the right mode of questioning (adapted from Clutterbuck, 2016).

1. Questioning to demonstrate superiority or undermine.  Questions coming from the mode of questioning are not appropriate in a mentoring relationship, but it is worth mentioning these regardless. Questions are usually phrased in a way that already implies an answer and the goal is to have the person being questioned agree with the perspective suggested, or the question is looking to catch the person out. Example: You really thought that would work, did you?
2. Questioning to elicit specific information. This mode of questioning is often to provide practical information, or information that is already known to the person asking the question.  These are often focused on achieving something for our own goals or knowledge.
3. Questioning for self-curiosity.  Questions from this mode do not have a fixed agenda and allow for co-learning. Questions are asked on instinct with an assumption that it might be interesting or useful for the person who is asking the question and for others.
4. Questioning for other-curiosity. Here questions are used to help the other person structure reflections and thinking.  This should help the mentee explore areas that have not been considered deeply before.
5. Seeking the right question. In this final mode of questioning, all questions are treated as stepping stones toward the right question.  This means that the context and the assumptions behind the questions are not well-defined to start with.  Both the mentor and the mentee will have to trust each other and the process for this to arrive at the right questions where both mentor and mentee learn something new together.  A question that describes this mode would be: “What is one question that you can ask yourself that would change the way you see this?”, or “What question would be really helpful for you right now?”.

The first mode of questioning, as mentioned, does not belong in a mentoring relationship.  However, finding the right balance between the rest of the modes of questioning is important.  Questions from all remaining four modes are important and valuable, and through practice a mentor can learn to switch between them effectively in a way that supports the mentee to learn new things about themselves.

It is valuable to be aware of the different modes of questioning as these can serve as a guide for how we think about asking questions, as the same questions might fall within different modes depending on context.  Furthermore, there exists no one question, which is always good and appropriate, so it is valuable to think about what type of questions exist.  These types are taken from Clutterbuck’s (2005) paper on mentoring relationships.

Context for mentoring African International Students

Asking the right questions is an important skill.  The main thing that is key to remember as a mentor to African International Students is that it is likely that your mentee will have a very different background than yourself.  Therefore, questions can be useful to explore differences and assumptions.  Spend time getting to know your mentee, so that you can support them the best in the future with good and relevant questions that meet them where they are, rather than where you assume they might be.  Furthermore, remember that questions should always seek to support the mentee in exploring areas they want to learn more about through their own reflections. So a good question will allow the mentee to create and find new knowledge about themselves in areas they are interested in exploring.