Socratic Questioning

Named after Socrates, the early Greek philosopher, a Socratic approach to learning is based on the practice of disciplined, rigorously thoughtful dialogue. Also known as the dialectical approach, this type of questioning can correct misconceptions and lead to reliable understanding and knowledge for both parties. It is one of the key underpinnings of professional apprenticeship schemes.

Although "Socratic questioning" appears simple, it is in fact intensely rigorous. The reviewer (coach or mentor) acknowledges the reviewee's (individual) greater knowledge about a given subject in order to develop the fullest possible joint understanding of the topic.

During Socratic questioning, the reviewer is a model of critical thinking who respects his/her colleague's viewpoints, probes their understanding, and shows genuine interest in their thinking. As a peer, the reviewer develops insightful and meaningful questions. The coach creates and sustains an intellectually stimulating discussion. In an intellectually open and confidential environment, individuals should be challenged, yet be comfortable in responding honestly and fully with their peers.

Role of the Coach

Plan significant questions that provide structure and direction to the exercise.
Phrase the questions clearly and specifically.
Allow time for the person to respond.
Keep the discussion focused.
Follow up on responses and invite elaboration.
Stimulate the discussion with probing questions.
Periodically summarize what has been discussed.
Do not pose yes/no questions, as they do little to promote thinking or encourage discussion.
Only offer advice or suggestions on request.

Role of the Individual

Participate openly and fully.
Answer questions as carefully and clearly as possible.

The Questioning process

Socratic questioning is a simple yet powerful method for exploring ideas or statements in depth and breadth. In simplest form, it involves:

starter question to identify issue or area of interest
development of themes by the individual in response to the starter question
examination of the themes related to the issue
critical examination of reasons, evidence, and assumptions related to the themes
critically examining the implications and consequences of issues
seeking and examining alternative points of view

Clarification Questions:

What do you mean by ______?
How does ____ relate to ____?
Could you put that another way?
What do you think is the main issue here?
Let me see if I understand you; do you mean _____ or _____?
Could you give me an example?
Could you expand upon that?

Questions about the Issues:

How can we find out?
What does this question assume?
Can we break down this issue at all?
Is the issue clear?
Do we understand it?
To address this issue, what questions would we have to answer first?
I'm not sure I understand how you are interpreting the main question at issue. Is this the same issue as ____?
Why is this issue important?
Does this issue lead to other questions or issues?

Assumption Probes:

What are you assuming?
What could we assume instead?
You seem to be assuming ____. Do I understand you correctly?
All of your reasoning depends on the idea that ____. Why have you based your reasoning on ____ rather than ____?
You seem to be assuming ____. How would you justify taking this for granted?
Is it always the case?
Why do you think the assumption holds here?

Reason and Evidence Probes:

What would be an example?
How do you know?
Why do you think that is true?
Do you have any evidence for that?
What other information do we need?
Can you explain how you logically got from ____ to ____?
What led you to that belief?
How does that apply to this case?
What would change your mind?
But is there good evidence to believe that?
Is there reason to doubt that evidence?
Who is in a position to know if that is so?
What would you say to someone who said ____?
Can someone else give evidence to support that response?
How could we find out whether that is true?

Implication and Consequence Probes:

What are you implying by that?
When you say ____, are you implying ____?
But if that happened, what else would happen as a result? Why?
What effect would that have?
Would that necessarily happen or only probably happen?
What is the probability of this result?
What is an alternative?
If this and this are the case, then what else must also be true?

Viewpoint Questions:

You seem to be approaching this issue from ____ perspective. Why have you chosen this rather than that perspective?
How could you answer the objection that ____ would make?
What might someone who believed ____ think?
Can/did/ does anyone else see this another way?
What would someone who disagrees say?
What is an alternative?