I love asking "What if.." questions. They help me to think big... to think the impossible... to have hope. When I reflect on my blog posts, tweets, and comments, I tend to ask "What if" questions a lot. I also use them when I'm coaching or mentoring another person. Asking "What if" allows others to thinking beyond their current realities and barriers.
Over the summer, I shared the question below on twitter, and it resonated with many people.
How big can you dream?? Everyone needs a champion, especially kids! #ISTE17 #ModelSchools #courageousleadership pic.twitter.com/jmqbqKmCia— Jennifer Hogan (@Jennifer_Hogan) June 26, 2017
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Here are a few other of my "What if" questions.
By asking questions that push the boundaries, it can create a change in mindset and approach to a problem. "What if" also implies the hypothetical and sets no demands, which reduces anxiety about change. It does open doors for creativity and opportunity, and it sometimes exposes the root of the problem.
(I led a book study via Voxer for teachers on The Golden Rules by Bob Bowman, coach for Michael Phelps.)
(blog post)
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(blog post)
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I shared on twitter how our school rewards positive behavior with Praise Referrals, and got asked the AWESOME "What if" question below...
What if more Ss were sent to the office for praise referrals than for "punishment?" https://t.co/st5EmNiiNU— Tim Sparacino (@sparacino) June 12, 2017
"What if" opens doors for creativity and opportunity, and it sometimes exposes the root of the problem.
When asking someone else these types of questions, it helps others to develop a vision for what could be. We also must remember that it can be overwhelming to some, especially in situations where the other person(s) is not used to generating ideas to solve a problem.
Have you asked or been asked a "What if" question that you found impactful? I would love to continue the conversation. You can tweet me or share in the comments below.
Totally agree about the power and importance of 'What If'. I created a short blog dedicated to asking 'what if' questions (http://readwriterespond.com/whatif/). Sometimes I elaborate on them, but more often than not they act as a reminder that there is always something else.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I highly recommend Warren Berger's A More Beautiful Question (https://readwriterespond.com/2015/11/in-search-of-a-more-beautiful-questions/) if you haven't read it already.