Right Question Strategy
What is the maximum that can be achieved by teaching the minimum?
How can you organize your thinking around something you know nothing about?
How can you become an effective advocate, problem solver, and citizen?
The Right Question Strategy provides an answer to these questions. The Strategy involves teaching two skills:
- How to formulate questions
- How to focus on decisions and use specific criteria for accountable decision-making
At first glance, these might seem like fairly basic skills that everyone has in their toolbox. They are, however, deceptively simple and, in reality, very sophisticated. Moreover, these skills are vitally important. Question-formulation and focusing on decisions are foundational skills, essential for effective self-advocacy and effective democratic action.
Despite their significance, these skills are rarely explicitly taught. We have designed simple methods to help individuals learn them.
Questions
Our Question Formulation Technique™(QFT) is a method designed to help people:
- Produce questions
- Improve questions
- Strategize on how to use the questions
Decisions
Our Framework for Accountable Decision-Making™ (FADM) is a method designed to help people focus on decisions. First, the method helps individuals identify decisions and know when they are being made. It is then easier to look closely at and ask questions about three key components of accountable decision-making:
- The reasons for the decision
- The process for making the decision
- The role an individual can play in the decision-making process
These three criteria correspond directly to three concepts that are essential to accountable decision-making in a democracy:
- Legitimacy - the reasons must be legitimate, based on law, official regulation and policy
- Transparency - the process must be visible to all affected by it
- Opportunities for participation - those affected by the decision must have a chance to participate in the process for making the decision