Precision questioning (PQ), an intellectual

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for

critical thinking Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased an ...

and for

problem solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

, grew out of a collaboration between

Dennis Matthies Dennis Matthies (born April 12, 1946) is an American academic. Matthies received a B.S. in physics from MIT in 1968 and an M.A. in Philosophy and Humanities in 1981 from Stanford University, where he taught until 1997. From 1992 to 1997, at Sta ...

(1946- ) an
Dr. Monica Worline
while both taught/studied at Stanford University. Precision questioning seeks to enable its practitioners with a highly structured, one-question/one-answer discussion format to help them: *

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complex problems * conduct

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* make difficult decisions PQ focuses on clearly expressing gaps in thinking by coupling a

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of analytical questions with a structured

call-and-response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

model to enable PQ practitioners to uncover weaknesses in thinking and to raise the intellectual level of a conversation. Those who use precision questioning (also called "PQers") describe PQ conversations as those analytical opportunities motivated by an attempt to get to precise answers, or to identify where no answer is available. However, when "drilling" into a topic, practitioners endeavor to avoid the use of personalization (blame or shame). Precision questioning holds to the ideal of meeting one's own needs for information while also respecting the intellectual

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of the conversation-partner. Matthies, who taught at Stanford University’
Center for Teaching and Learning
(CTL) in the 1990s, developed several experimental courses that have subsequently become known to a wider public — including Precision Questioning, initially taught in the Stanford Philosophy Department. Proselytizing for precision questioning on a commercial basis continues via the Vervago company, co-founded by Matthies and Worline. Tens of thousands of people in universities and companies throughout the world have studied different versions of precision questioning.

External links

* 1995 – ''Precision Questioning'' (Published through th
Stanford University Bookstore
* www.vervago.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Precision Questioning Communication Critical thinking skills