Challenge your assumptions, and use open questions in engagement

Start by challenging yourself

Before you start any engagement work, pause and ask yourself:

  • What am I taking for granted?

  • Who am I thinking about?

  • Who am I not thinking about?

  • What might I be missing?

Spot your assumptions

Common assumptions might be:

  • Everyone uses email

  • Parents are free in the day

  • Young people prefer social media

  • Everyone can get to the city center

  • People understand our processes

  • English is everyone's first language

  • Everyone will want the same outcomes

  • People will want to make big changes

  • Quick fixes will satisfy everyone

  • One solution will work for all

  • People will agree with our priorities

  • Success means the same to everyone

  • Change can happen quickly

  • Everyone understands the constraints

Ask yourself: "How do I know this is true?"

Turn assumptions into questions

Instead of assuming, ask!Bad: "We'll meet at 10am on Tuesday" Good: "When are the best times for you to meet?"Bad: "We'll send the information by email" Good: "How would you like to receive information?"Bad: "Young people can join our Zoom meeting" Good: "How would you prefer to take part?"

Writing better questions

Avoid:

  • Yes/no questions

  • Leading questions

  • Complex language

  • Multiple questions at once

Use:

  • What?

  • How?

  • Where?

  • When?

  • Tell me about...

  • Could you explain...

Examples of open questions

For Young People:

  • "What matters most to you at school?"

  • "How do you like to share your ideas?"

  • "What makes a good day for you?"

For Parent Carers:

  • "What would make services work better for your family?"

  • "How do you want to be involved?"

  • "What support would help you take part?"

Using answers to learn more

When people answer:

  • Listen carefully

  • Ask follow-up questions

  • Check you understand

  • Be open to surprises

  • Learn from what you hear

Remember: The goal is to learn from people, not to confirm what we think we know.

Quick tips

✓ Challenge your own thinking ✓ Ask open questions ✓ Listen more than you talk ✓ Be ready to be surprised ✓ Value all answers ✓ Make changes based on what you learn

Using AI (artificial intelligence) to transform assumptions into questions

  1. Write down your assumption clearly

  2. Ask AI to help you create different types of open questions

  3. Ask for variations for different audiences

Example: Your assumption: "Everyone will want the same outcomes from this work"Ask AI: "Please create open questions to explore what outcomes different people might want"AI might suggest:For Young People:

  • "What changes would make the biggest difference to you?"

  • "What would a really good result look like?"

  • "How would you know things had gotten better?"

For Parent Carers:

  • "What improvements would help your family most?"

  • "What does success look like for you?"

  • "What changes matter most to you?"

For Staff:

  • "What outcomes would make services work better?"

  • "How would you measure success?"

  • "What changes would make the most difference?"

You can then use AI to:

  • Simplify complex questions

  • Create follow-up questions

  • Make questions more accessible

  • Check for hidden assumptions

  • Suggest alternative wording

Remember: AI is a tool to help you think differently - always review and adapt suggestions to make sure they fit your community's needs. Keep asking: "What else might I be assuming about outcomes?"

  • About timing?

  • About resources?

  • About priorities?

  • About what's possible?

  • About what people value?

The key is to keep challenging our assumptions and keep asking open questions throughout the engagement process.