| Body | This activity was created to support learners studying Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and was written with the learner as the intended audience. The activity entails observing who asks clarifying questions in the workplace and when and where they choose to ask them. It was created for learners of all levels, and it would be particularly useful for Facilitated Interdependent Language Learning contexts or other language self-study contexts.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Observe who asks clarifying questions, when these questions are asked, and how these questions are phrased
- Analyze trends they notice about who asks questions, when they are asked, and how they are phrased
- Brainstorm situations in which they would feel comfortable asking questions
Mode(s): Interpersonal, Presentational
Materials: Asking Clarifying Questions video, Question Exploration! handout
Procedure:
- Watch the Asking Clarifying Questions video.
- Then, look over the three questions for observing and analyzing questions on the Question Exploration! handout. Note that the handout is simple and should not require much writing to complete. To facilitate said writing, each of the following steps provides instructions about how to think through your answers to each of these questions:
- Who asks clarifying questions?
- When are these questions asked?
- How are these questions phrased?
- Think about an instance where a person, or multiple people, asked clarifying questions at work. In the “Who Asks Clarifying Questions?” section on the handout, check off this person or people. If you choose “other,” provide a title or description of who the person is, noting their role in the workplace. Use the notes section to record any additional information you find relevant, such as the relationship between the question asker and answerer.
- Next, record the context in the “When are Questions Asked” section, either by checking off one of the given options, or by checking “other” and providing a brief description. Use the notes section to record any additional, relevant information about the context.
- Finally, record how the question was phrased. In the notes section, write down information such as the words or vocabulary used in the question. You can also note the tone of voice used (if spoken), as well as any non-verbal communication (e.g., gesture, physical distance between interlocutors, etc.) or multimodal communication (e.g., visual input used in digital settings, such as emojis, reactions, or gifs).
- Once you have finished recording your observations, analyze your data for patterns and record this analysis in section number two of the handout. Finding trends is more easily done if you have recorded information from multiple instances of questions asking. If you are looking at a single instance, on the other hand, see if you can analyze the factors that affected it, including interpersonal and relational factors like power, distance, and imposition (the severity of the situation).
- Finally, based on your observations and analysis, think about situations where you would feel comfortable asking for clarification and record these in section three of the handout. Include as much specific information as you can, including who you would ask, the context in which you would ask, and how you might phrase your questions.
Notes:
- This exercise can be repeated multiple times, in order to gather more data, further explore any trends that you notice, or to look at how questions are asked in novel instances or by new coworkers or supervisors.
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