Scenario: Open says me(2024)

Written by DrBea on . Posted in WIAL Talk

As an action learning coach, how would you handle the following situation: A member responds to a closed question with an open answer.

Tags: Action Learning, ActionLearning Coach, Team Coach, WIAL, WIAL Action Learning, WIAL Talk

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    Huy Nguyễn

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    Case 1: The closed-ended question comes from a team member. The coach presumably did not intervene when that member posed the question, so it could have been appropriate for the circumstances at that time.
    When another member responds with an open-ended answer, the coach will check whether the content of the answer clearly addresses the question.
    – If it does, the coach can simply move on, allowing the team to continue working.
    – If not, the coach can ask the responder, “Which question are you answering?” If they correctly restate the question, the coach can then ask, “So, what’s your short answer?” If they cannot correctly restate the question, the coach may invite the questioner to repeat their question.

    Case 2: The closed-ended question comes from the Coach. In that situation, the Coach may remind the responder, “This is a yes/no question,” and invite them to answer it accordingly.

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    Saskia van den Berg-Tromp

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    A lot of the answers to these scenarios will be “it depends”, in this case there are a number of relevant aspects you want to take into account.
    When the question comes more at the time of converging, and the answer helps get in that direction, this can be a good thing and I would let it go.
    If the answer is getting too long-winded, I would steer towards concluding it with an intervention like “what is the question that is on the table now?”.
    If the long-winded answer comes from someone who has done this multiple times during the session, I might also ask them to remind themselves of the groundrule.

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    MICHAL MAKOWSKI

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    1. Clarify the Question:I would ask which question they are currently answering.
    2.Facilitate Reflection: If the open response provided valuable insights or new angles, I would encourage further reflection on that response, but always keeping the process focused. I might ask, “That’s an interesting point. How does that relate to the original question we’re addressing?”
    3.Support Group Dynamics: If the response starts to derail the group’s focus, I would step in as the coach to bring the group’s attention back to the problem at hand, using questions to guide the process and encourage further exploration of the challenge.

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