I always want to dig deeper the reasons why questioning is powerful. I find one of the reasons in the book - Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. I am reading the chapter on the green thinking hat - the creative hat. Let me highlight the relevant paragraph:
“… The “expectation” aspect is also very important. People are very good at doing what is expected of them. People are good at playing the “game” which they perceive to be in progress. The result is that people who have never thought of themselves as creative start making a creative effort. Their confidence increases and soon they are as creative as anyone else….”
I agree on the claim that people are very good at doing what is expected of them. This logic works at home, school and work. An expectation given simply by another person is powerful. It is like an anchor. The same logic applies to questioning. When one is asked a question, he / she is given an expectation. He / she is compelled to think.
In the training setting, whenever the trainers ask questions, they fire away expectation which influences the learners!
