<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Through an endeavour to improve the quality of our questions we can often find the answer we are looking for.”</span></i></h2>
<h2></h2>
<h2><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Great questions result in solutions rather than great answers!</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">”  Rachel Frances Thomson, (2020)</span></h2>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-26962" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/benjamin-davies-JrZ1yE1PjQ0-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="543" height="362" />

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We all know what SMART goal setting means, right?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of us also know how to identify a great research paper </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">However rarely do I get asked really great questions </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So what is the question? Haha see what I did there….</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Due to the nature of my social media posts &amp; based upon both my skills as a Biomechanics Coach, iMoveFreely Instructor &amp; also as a teacher of Biomechanics Education I get asked questions literally on a daily basis…..and I love it!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">However due to the volume of common questions I decided rather than typing to respond to every single private message (which I do endeavour to do by the way) I would run a free live Biomechanics Q&amp;A though lockdown as a way to:</span>

&nbsp;
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Give back through the tough times while we all had the opportunity</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Save having to answer the same questions over &amp; over </span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Offer a platform for open questioning around my specialist subject of intrinsic biomechanics </span></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">As the questions poured in, usually in advance of the live Q&amp;A, I was able to digest the content of the question &amp; realised something that is common to when teaching in the classroom. </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We might want to consider developing our questioning skills.   </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Now I can appreciate many people will post a question quickly since everything on social media is done with haste right?!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet I don't want to discourage questions coming so the intention of this blog is to demonstrate how to structure a really great question.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So let's explore what makes for a great question...</span>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-26959" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/artem-maltsev-0CvHQ62gwY8-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="518" />

&nbsp;
<h2><b>The Problem </b></h2>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are two of the most common examples of framing for questions that I get asked are …</span>

&nbsp;

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“...What's your opinion on…?”</span></i>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“...What are your thoughts about…?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">”</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There are several problems with these types of questions….</span>

&nbsp;
<ol>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A cognitive bias can result in an individual's view of things which can therefore limit the information they are able to give. This information would likely also be based upon their own view of life, their experiences &amp; views </span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">They are open to interpretation which means they may base their response upon incorrect assumption about the context</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lack of clarity about the actual problem they are trying to solve means there is a risk of incorrect or inappropriate advice being given</span></li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What I found myself doing during the LIVE Q&amp;A’s was ‘reframing’ some questions into a variety of contexts to offer ideas of how to find solutions to the problem or problems they were trying to solve. </span>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-26961" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/timothy-dykes-90uVYog2FKE-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="558" height="372" />

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2><b>The Solution </b></h2>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Even before the LIVE Q&amp;As, while teaching, it has always been apparent to me that it was more helpful to guide learners/practitioners towards improving their questions by asking them for more details.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">By understanding exactly the problem they are trying to solve or thinking about they often found they got to the answer without me having to give my ‘opinion’ or biased view based on assumption. </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Opinion is all too commonly asked for &amp; given on social media &amp; can cloud reality / fact from personal bias or opinion. Personal opinion &amp; view has its place &amp; isn't always bad IF that is what you are looking for. </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Also discovering solutions can be more helpful than solid answers when learners have specified the actual problem they were trying to solve. This is often the case with gaining a deeper level of understanding clients bodies and anatomy since every-body is so different. </span>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-26964" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/windows-v94mlgvsza4-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="567" height="380" />

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2><b>What techniques can we use to improve our questions?</b></h2>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Firstly consider what the purpose of the question is. Then from here start developing your question into a SMART goal. By asking specific well defined, unambiguous and clear questions as you would with a client when they come for your advice. This gives you better information about what you actually want to achieve when seeking answers.</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The goal therefore is creating specific, measurable, realistic questions at the very least. Then we might still want to add achievable &amp; time bound details should they be relevant.</span>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-26963" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/bruce-mars-xj8qrWvuOEs-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="595" height="396" />
<h2></h2>
<h2></h2>
<h2></h2>
&nbsp;
<h2><b>Good research asks SMART questions </b></h2>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Another way to learn about great questioning is to study research methods. Having recently signed up for the Movement Therapy Education Diploma I have been reminded about how good research asks SMART questions. </span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">My first module is called ‘Research Methods for therapists ’ but is an excellent stand alone module for anyone trying to learn how to identify what good research looks like AND with the added bonus of understanding how to develop communication skills in asking great questions. </span>

&nbsp;
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">So here is a question for you….</span></h3>
<h2><b><i>What is your number one struggle in helping clients to move more freely RIGHT NOW?</i></b></h2>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">HIT REPLY &amp; let me know</span></h3>
&nbsp;

<hr />

<h1>Would you like help in developing your questioning skills?</h1>
&nbsp;
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Access the <strong>LIVE Biomechanics Q&amp;A’S </strong>every Wednesday at 12pm during lockdown &amp; then through the Biomechanics Q&amp;A Free Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/341768576971345/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&gt;&gt;CLICK HERE&lt;&lt;</a></span></h2>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="wp-image-26965 alignright" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mathew-schwartz-8rj4sz9YLCI-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="440" height="293" /><img class="wp-image-26966 alignleft" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/tachina-lee-wjk_SSqCE4-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" width="463" height="309" />

&nbsp;
<h1></h1>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Access to the MTE <strong>Research Methods</strong> module <a href="https://movementtherapyeducation.thinkific.com/courses/research-methods-for-therapists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&gt;&gt;CLICK HERE&lt;&lt;</a></span></h2>