Short talk from Scrum Gathering Portugal 2016 on how to identify, build and use Powerful Questions on a Scrum Team.

1. Powerful Questions for the
Scrum Professional
@carlton858
Carlton E. Nettleton
Scrum Gathering Portugal 2016

4. 15

5. What will I learn today?
What is a Powerful Question?
How can I structure a Powerful Question for
maximum effect?
How can I use a Powerful Question in a
conversation?

7. Do you want a cup of tea?

9. What would you like to drink?

11. What defines a Powerful Question?
•Generates curiosity.
•Surfaces underlying assumptions.
•Invites creativity and new possibilities.
•Generate energy and forward movement.
•Touches a deeper meaning.
•Stimulates reflection and dialogue.
•Stays with the participants.

12. ?
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15. What will I learn today?
What is a Powerful Question?
How can I structure a Powerful Question for
maximum effect?
How can I use a Powerful Question in a
conversation?

16. Which? Yes?No?
Why?

17. Building a Powerful Question
More Powerful
Less Powerful
Why?
How?
What?
Who?, When?, Where?
Which?, YesNo?

18. Do you like the way the ScrumMaster has
worked with Team?
vs.
What have you liked about the way the
ScrumMaster has worked with the Team?

19. or

20. How can we improve our Product
Backlog?
vs.
How can we understand our customers &
business better?

22. Why doesn’t the Product Owner sit with
the Team each day?
vs.
How can the Product Owner be more
available?

23. More Powerful
Less Powerful
5
1
4
3
2

24. 5

25. What will I learn today?
What is a Powerful Question?
How can I structure a Powerful Question for
maximum effect?
How can I use a Powerful Question in a
conversation?

27. QUESTIONER
•Listen to the stor yteller
describe their story.
•D o N O T o f f e r a d v i c e ,
suggestions or resolve the
situation your partner.
•At the right moment, ask a
Powerful Question and ONLY
a Powerful Question.
•Then be silent and let the
conversation end naturally.
Powerful Question Dialogue
STORYTELLER
•Te l l a s t o r y a b o u t a n
unresolved situation at work
(or at home).
•Pick a situation that you feel
comfortable sharing in public.

28. Powerful Questions You Can Use
Can you speak more to that? What do you care about?
Can you try it for a week? How does that make you feel?
How’s that working for you? What do you need to know?
Can you explain that to me? How can you do that better?
What does that cost you? What skills can you use?
How can we make this more fun? Why do you care?
What is another way? What is it we’re not seeing?
What might be another perspective? How might someone else see this?
How can you contribute more? What’s holding you back?
What if… How do you know?
I wonder… Who cares about this?
I’m curious… What is possible here?

29. ?
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?Vocês Tém Mais
Perguntas?
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31. Powerful Questions for the Scrum Professional
carlton@lookforwardconsulting.com