--- title: "Ask Follow-Up Questions and Listen" description: "Participants work in pairs or trios where one speaker shares a short statement and the partners ask five genuine follow-up questions before switching. The practice shifts group discussions from competitive rebuttal to disciplined listening and inquiry." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/ask-follow-up-questions-and-listen-interactivity-foundation/" --- # Ask Follow-Up Questions and Listen Participants work in pairs or trios where one speaker shares a short statement and the partners ask five genuine follow-up questions before switching. The practice shifts group discussions from competitive rebuttal to disciplined listening and inquiry. **Time:** 15 minutes. UWT plan structured for a 15-minute workshop block based on the 5-question mechanic. **People:** 4 to 24. Pairs or trios. Groups of 3 work well with one speaker and two questioners. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Direct participant attention toward exploring someone else's thinking through five sequential follow-up questions rather than making counter-statements. **Use it when:** Use when discussion groups suffer from dominant speakers, serial monologues, or quick debates that cut off deeper exploration. **Skip it when:** Skip when a group needs rapid decision-making, crisis coordination, or brief factual reporting where open-ended questioning would derail the agenda. ## Materials and tools - One printed prompt slip or index card per person - One visible timer or countdown display ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange chairs so pairs or trios can face each other without shouting. 2. Place the starter prompt list on a shared screen or write it on a board. ## Say this to open In conversations, we often rush to share our own stories or debate an idea. Today we will practice a different habit. When your partner makes a statement, you must ask five follow-up questions about that statement before offering any views of your own. Listen closely to each answer, because your next question should build directly on what they just said. ## How to run it ### 1. Set up partners and prompt (2 minutes) Form groups of two or three. Designate Person A as the first speaker and Person B (and C) as questioners. Point to the shared prompt list on the board or screen. Person A picks one prompt or shares a work-related opinion in one to two sentences. ### 2. Run Round 1: Five questions (5 minutes) Person A makes their opening comment. Person B asks a first question, such as 'Can you tell me more about that?' Person A answers. Person B (and C in a trio) asks four more sequential follow-up questions based on the answers heard. Questioners may not share their own opinions or stories. Stop when five questions are answered or when five minutes expire. ### 3. Run Round 2: Swap roles (5 minutes) Swap roles so Person B becomes the speaker and Person A becomes the questioner. Person B states their comment. Person A asks five sequential follow-up questions based on the answers. Stop when five questions are answered or when five minutes expire. ### 4. Debrief inquiry habits (3 minutes) Call the room together. Invite two or three participants to answer how asking five questions changed their listening habits compared to normal conversation. ## Debrief questions - What was challenging about asking five questions without inserting your own opinion? - How did your understanding of your partner's comment change between question one and question five? - How did it feel to be questioned with genuine curiosity rather than debate? **Finished output:** Each participant completes two rounds of disciplined inquiry, generating ten questions and answers across each pair. ## Remote Create breakout rooms for pairs or trios. Broadcast the prompt options into chat. Post broadcast messages when it is time to switch roles at the halfway mark. ## Hybrid Pair in-person participants with in-person partners and remote participants with remote partners in digital breakout rooms. Avoid cross-modality pairs to eliminate acoustic interference. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may pass on personal topics and use neutral work scenarios from the provided prompt list. - Written questioning via chat or paper is permitted for participants who prefer non-verbal exchange. ## If the session gets stuck **A questioner offers advice or debate disguised as a question (for example, 'Don't you think you should just...?').** Remind the room that follow-up questions seek clarity on the speaker's thoughts, such as 'What led you to that conclusion?' rather than nudging toward an answer. **The pair runs out of questions after two or three.** Advise them to use simple open inquiries like 'What was the hardest part of that?' or 'What happens next if that occurs?' ## Terms used here - Follow-up question: A question that explores, clarifies, or builds directly upon the statement just made by another speaker. ## Participant material: Sample Starter Statements Choose one statement to start your round, or make up your own work-related comment: 1. 'Our team needs to change how we handle weekly status meetings.' 2. 'I learn best when I get to try things out before reading the instructions.' 3. 'Remote work has improved my productivity, but it makes collaboration harder.' 4. 'The hardest part of taking on a new project is defining the actual problem.' ## Sources and adaptation Observed in the Interactivity Foundation's 'Think About' education series post titled 'Ask Follow-Up Questions and Listen' (May 13, 2020), which attributes the 5-question classroom rule to an anonymous instructor composite. The five-question mechanic and the starter question 'Can you tell me more?' are retained directly from the Interactivity Foundation article. UWT added the 15-minute two-round timed framework, trio accommodations, specific sample starter statements, and debrief prompts. [www.interactivityfoundation.org](https://www.interactivityfoundation.org/ask-follow-up-questions-and-listen/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/ask-follow-up-questions-and-listen-interactivity-foundation/