Socrates Mentoring Secret – The art of Questioning Socrates , who is always synonymous with great teaching, never walked into a “class”( if you can call it that) with a text book or a power point presentation. His teaching was about asking the right questions and deciphering answers from listening to the answers. The right question sets the brain thinking, evokes curiosity and grows wisdom. This is why the Socratic method is what mentors should master. And mind you, this is an art- something which has to be consciously cultivated. A question that seeks to build understanding would just unleash a powerful chain of activities than foster discovery making the mentoring experience much more enriching. The best way to ask the right question is to make a statement. The statement should be able to convey the message of understanding , reassuring the protégé that the mentor is on the same wavelength and should also set the context for the discussion. In doing so , the mentor communicates to the protégé that homework has been done and sets the background for the discussion. It also makes the protégé less defensive, which would clearly not have been the case if a question was asked. The right question is never information seeking . The purpose of questioning is to create a framework for self –discovery and hence the questions …show more content…
These questions have the capacity to instantly evoke two types of reactions. One is to get people to retract into their coccons , while the other is to make them defensive. Either does not work in mentoring. If questions are being asked to foster smoother and transparent interaction, then it is bets to shy away from “why” . The reason is that why is always associated with being judgemental and vindictive. Even if the “why” is asked calmly, it always triggers defensive hormones . Ask questions that let people forget themselves and involve themselves into trying to find