Debriefing is a critical component of participant-centered learning; it establishes learner takeaways and reinforces the learning process. Part of conducting a successful debriefing is developing effective questions that engage your learners.
In order to create debriefings that leverage the learning experience, questions should be pre-planned. An off-the-cuff approach to debriefing questions is less effective than sharp probing questions that have been intentionally crafted with purpose. So how do you create great, engaging questions? Below we share how to write effective questions that will help you and your learners get more out of debriefings.
Dive deeper
Good questions are unique. Avoid the standard, trivial questions – dive deeper than questions looking solely for comprehension. Try beginning your questions with words like “how” or “why,” to give learners a chance to explore takeaways and the meaning behind the activity. Push your learners toward application answers that explain how the learner is going to use the information on the job.
Be clear
Clarity and simplicity – these are two key components for creating great questions. By structuring your questions in 10 words or less, you can ensure that your learners understand your questions with ease.
Plan for appropriate timing
Timing is an important consideration to keep in mind when planning your questions. If you think that the question would be more relevant or helpful for the learner if given in advance, then do so. Some questions may need a little more thought than others.
Question timing can greatly influence what the learner takes away from an activity. For example, if you’re including a movie clip in your session it may be helpful to pose your questions before playing the movie clip. That way, learners will know what to watch for. Giving your questions in advance will help learners plan ahead and understand what you will expect from them later on in the debriefing session.
Be sincere to nurture the learning process
Don’t just ask a question to ask. Be genuine and authentic with your questions. A good check for this is to think about how much each question challenges your learners. If your questions are too easy, nobody benefits. However, developing challenging, open-ended questions can open the door to a great Q&A session. By asking questions with sincerity and purpose, you will create a debriefing atmosphere that truly nurtures further learning and will enhance learners’ skills back on the job.
