What’s a question that’s stayed with you longer than expected?

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, I explore the idea that questions are more than just part of conversation… They shape how we think, how we connect, and how we experience learning.

From the questions we ask in the moment to the ones we design with intention, this episode is an invitation to notice the role questions are already playing in your work and your day-to-day interactions.

Through reflections from my podcast, my time in the classroom, and my work at the ARIS Hub, I share how even small shifts in how we ask questions can create more space for thinking, connection, and understanding.

Because sometimes, it’s not the answer that changes things… It’s the question.

Listen in as we talk about:

01:00 More than “just” questions

03:39 Designing questions in learning

05:07 The power of how we ask

07:35 Questions as listening

09:24 Curiosity in practice

10:18 Creating space for responses

11:52 When questions take time

13:35 Creating a space where questions are welcome

13:58 Questions beyond the classroom

17:17 A question to carry

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Questions are part of almost every interaction, but it’s easy to overlook just how much they’re shaping what’s happening beneath the surface. They don’t just move a conversation along. They guide attention, influence what people notice, and shape how understanding begins to take form. When you slow down and really look at them, you start to see that questions are doing far more than simply filling space.

Shifting from thinking about questions as right or wrong to thinking about them as intentional or unintentional opens up a different way of approaching them. It invites you to consider not just what you’re asking, but how it’s landing and what it’s making possible for someone else. Even small shifts in that awareness can change how someone experiences learning.

Questions don’t always have to be created in the moment. They can be thoughtfully designed as part of a learning experience, helping to guide someone from where they are toward a deeper understanding. When there is a clear question at the centre, it gives direction. It creates a sense of purpose that helps everything else connect.

From there, questions can build in a way that supports how people move through the learning. They help connect ideas, invite application, and create opportunities for people to make meaning in their own way. Instead of learning feeling like a series of disconnected pieces, it begins to feel like something that is unfolding. When questions are designed with intention, they help shift learning from something people receive into something they actively take part in.

“Questions don’t just gather information. They shape how people feel in the learning and how deeply they engage with it.”

The way a question is asked can completely change how it feels to respond. A small shift in wording can move something from feeling heavy or evaluative to something that feels open and supportive. These moments can seem subtle, but they have a real impact on how someone engages.

Questions don’t just gather information. They shape how people feel in the moment and how willing they are to step into the learning. When a question is grounded in curiosity and care, it creates space for people to think out loud, to share ideas, and to stay engaged a little longer. The experience becomes less about getting it right and more about working through it.

There’s a connection between asking questions and truly listening. In podcast conversations, preparation matters, but it’s often the listening in the moment that shapes where the conversation goes. The questions asked ahead of time help create a starting point, but they aren’t meant to be followed exactly.

What matters more is paying attention to what is being shared and allowing the next question to emerge from that place. That balance between structure and flexibility creates space for something more natural and meaningful to unfold. Questions become less about control and more about connection.

This idea of questions shaping outcomes shows up beyond conversations. In the development of a student engagement framework at the ARIS Hub at SAIT (the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), the starting point wasn’t answers, it was curiosity. Questions were used to understand experiences, challenges, and needs across different perspectives.

What emerged from that process was something grounded in what people actually shared. It wasn’t built on assumptions, but on listening. As well, because the questions continue, the work continues to evolve. When curiosity leads, what is created stays connected to the people it is meant to support.

Questions can help us understand learning as it’s happening, but how we invite responses matters. Not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in the same way, especially in larger group settings. When the only option is to respond out loud, some voices naturally stay quiet.

Creating different ways for people to share their thinking can shift that dynamic. Simple approaches can lower the barrier to participation and make it easier for more people to engage. When that happens, learning becomes something shared rather than something performed, and you gain a clearer sense of where people are at along the way.

There’s often a tendency to ask a question and then move quickly to the next thing, but giving people a little more time can make a meaningful difference. That pause, often called “wait time”,  allows space for thinking, for processing, and for more thoughtful responses to emerge.

Not all questions are meant to be answered right away. Some take time. They stay with people, resurface later, and connect to other ideas in ways that aren’t always immediate. When we allow for that, we begin to see that learning doesn’t stop when the moment ends. It continues beyond it.

For many people, asking a question can feel vulnerable. It requires a sense of safety and a feeling that it’s okay to not have everything figured out. Without that, questions often go unasked, even when others are wondering the same thing.

When a space is created where questions are welcomed and not knowing is part of the process, something shifts. People begin to engage more openly, and the learning becomes something they move through together. Often, the question one person is hesitant to ask is the same one others are quietly holding.

Questions don’t just belong in formal learning environments. They show up in everyday conversations, in how we support others, and in how we connect. The way we ask can shift a conversation from something transactional to something more thoughtful and engaging.

A small change, like moving from checking for completion to inviting reflection, can open up new ways of thinking. In those everyday moments, questions don’t just move things forward. They shape how people see themselves and their role in what comes next.

“When questions are intentional, they don’t just move things along. They open things up.”

As you think about your own work and interactions, this isn’t about asking more questions for the sake of it. It’s about noticing the ones that are already there and becoming a little more intentional with them.

Questions have a way of opening things up, creating space for understanding, connection, and something new to emerge. And sometimes, one thoughtful question is enough to shift how someone experiences learning in a lasting way.