SOM is based on the Mutual Gains Approach, where you look for flexible solutions that benefit everyone as much as possible. To reach those solutions, you as an environmental professional need to know what interest lies behind a stance. You want to know why someone is for or against something.

Asking good questions is therefore an important basic skill. I have experienced myself that this involves more than a series of variations on the ‘why’ question.

Intellectual humility

It starts with a good basic attitude in which you constantly question your own beliefs. I think the term ‘intellectual humility’ fits well. If you are intellectually humble, you can have strong convictions and at the same time be open to the opinions of others. You are aware of your own fallibility and don't mind being pointed out your mistakes. Research from Duke University in the US in 2017 shows that intellectual humility promotes impartiality and increases your open-mindedness. Exactly what you and I, as environmental professionals, need!

Four critical questions to ask yourself

“The relationship between humility and asking questions is interesting—if you lack the former, you're likely to do less of the latter,” states Warren Berger in his book
The Book of Beautiful Questions. It introduces four critical questions that can strengthen our intellectual humility:

• Am I thinking like a soldier (defending positions) or like a scout (exploring new territory)?
• Do I want to be right, or do I want to understand?
• Am I asking about opposing perspectives?
• Do I enjoy discovering I'm wrong? Being wrong isn't a failure, it's a success: you've learned something!

What gets in the way of us asking good questions?

An inquisitive mind, genuine wonder, and non-judgment are important qualities for asking good questions. But nobody's perfect, and it helps me to know what pitfalls to avoid daily. Warren Berger calls them ‘the five enemies of asking questions’:

Fear

When you ask questions, you run the risk that others will discover that you don't know something you should. And who wants to come across as stupid? I've discovered that asking ‘stupid questions’ not only gives me a lot of valuable information, but also benefits others in the surrounding process. After all, nobody dares to ask those questions! I admit it: sometimes there's a genuinely stupid question. Then I laugh just as hard as everyone else; the relaxed atmosphere that creates is also valuable, isn't it?

Knowledge

The more you know, the less you feel the need to ask questions. The danger is that your expertise prevents you from broadening your knowledge and perspective. Remember that we often don't know as much as we think we do... So keep an open mind and be willing to take your expertise with a grain of salt.

Bias

A cognitive bias is a term from psychology referring to an irrational or flawed line of thinking. Our brains (yes, yours too!) are constantly falling prey to preconceptions, assumptions, and stereotyping. These biases hinder the investigative mind needed to ask good questions; we quickly think we already know how things are and overlook important information in the process.

Arrogance

Arrogance is related to bias: we think we know for sure. Arrogant people are, of course, very annoying, but... if we know that we are all subject to biases, isn't it also plausible to assume that we are all arrogant at times? Good question.

Time

Berger quotes the comedian George Carlin here:
“Some people see things that exist and ask, ‘Why?’ Some people dream of things that never existed and ask, ‘Why not?’ Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that crap.’

This quote paints a sharp picture of our modern world, where a lack of time prevents us from investigating, questioning, and thinking critically about things. There is only one way to remedy this ill: consciously make time for asking questions! That time will more than pay for itself in a careful environmental process.

Finally

After critically examining yourself and gaining a better understanding of your own thought patterns and their pitfalls, you might still need some practical tools. For example, to avoid landing in someone's irritation zone by endlessly asking ‘why?’. Below are some variations on the "why" question, to dig a little deeper and properly identify the interests of stakeholders:

• What would happen if this development/change continues?
• What does it mean to you when you are proven right?
• What concerns you when you don't get your way?
• What makes this important to you?
• Is there a specific element you find more important than others in this?
• What else is important to you?
• Could you explain that a little more clearly?
• Do you have any examples for that too?
• That intrigues me, can you tell me more?
• I still don't quite get it... (silence invites further explanation)
• Do you mean that…? (asking for more information to gauge the situation)

Consulted sources:

• The Book of Beautiful Questions, Warren Berger, 2018
• Cognitive and Interpersonal Features of Intellectual Humility, Marc R. Leary Ph.D. et al., Duke University, 2017