The Synthesis Fugue

What kind of music do you enjoy? If you’re like me you appreciate a broad spectrum. So far today I’ve listened to Bach, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, and The Rolling Stones. The music I’m drawn to tends to result from synthesis: the combining of multiple, different parts into a complex whole. Attend the symphony and you’ll experience the splendid coalescence of myriad, unique aural expressions.

Synthesis, the third step in our learning structure, is when we collaborate with our audience to reassemble the elements explored during the process phase into a new coherent whole. Imagine you are the conductor. The orchestra is your audience. Together you are working to shape something resonant and memorable.

A powerful shift happens as you progress from Introduction through Process and into Synthesis. The topic you present in the Introduction, though helpful for the purposes of orienting your audience, is as yet abstract to everyone but you. Imagine if you told me, “Today we’re going to talk about native vegetation.” I would know what we’re discussing, but I wouldn’t have any relationship to the topic. It remains intangible to me. Process allows me to explore the content and make it my own. I can ask questions, deepen my understanding, and at least begin to satisfy my curiosity. Through synthesis we can then create a new form, or composition, that has personal meaning and relevance to each individual.

Too often, because we bypass the process phase, synthesis becomes merely a reiteration of what was stated in the introduction. For example, an introduction may be, “Smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health.” The “synthesis” that follows falls flatly as, “Furthermore, don’t smoke. It’s bad for you.” This prevents the message from taking root and yielding change because the topic remains distant and impersonal to the audience.

Synthesis offers the opportunity to make meaning of process. The presenter or educator can facilitate synthesis by bundling together comments from the audience into likenesses, then reframing the main message after integrating input. This is a far cry from traditional approaches wherein we state the message in our terms, irrespective of participants’ voices.

In summary, a solid Introduction promotes productive, divergent Process, which in turn allows for constructive Synthesis. Keep in mind that all of these elements apply to both formal and informal presentations. What applies to teaching a workshop will also be relevant in a dialogue with your coworkers or children. Fidelity to each element will enhance the potency of all our interactions.

It’s great to be working with you to promote meaningful, lasting change.

Best,

Questions? Send me an email.

I love good coffee. Every morning I brew up a couple cups of my home roasted beans. Amazing things happen. I form sentences. I’m engaged with the day!

Good questions are caffeine for curiosity, an essential component for engaging teens. Curiosity is an appetite to see and understand. It’s constructive confusion. Too often we provide answers. There is no confusion and therefore no curiosity. By asking good questions–questions that spring forth from our own curiosity–we cultivate fertile ground for learning and positive change.

But all questions are not alike. Basic communication classes teach that a good question is an open-ended question: one beginning with what, how, when, why, and where. Those questions one can answer with yes or no are not good questions, or so goes the rule.

But here’s a conundrum: Open-ended questions are not always good questions and close-ended questions can be brilliant. “What are the three most common sexually transmitted diseases?” These kinds of questions drive students to a prepared, static answer. Now consider how a close-ended (yes/no) question can open conversation: “Do you have a safety plan if you ever feel like your life is threatened?” Imagine the kinds of great questions that might flow from this close-ended question.

Divergent questions that encourage exploration, not a pat answer, are most likely to increase student curiosity. Synthesis and understanding are important. But answers are most meaningful when preceded by divergent exploration. Divergence allows us to explore the context that surrounds our topic, leading to deeper understanding. Too often we bypass this crucial process.

Before signing off I want to underscore that convergent questions are not implicitly bad. “Is everyone understanding what we’re talking about?” is an example of a very helpful convergent question. But divergent questions are caffeine for our curiosity. My hope is that we will be more aware of the types of questions we ask and how we use them in the course of learning. We’re always moving with students from abstract to concrete and back again. Questions are trusted guides for this process.

The next time you observe your staff (or yourself) working with teens, I encourage you to try the following:

On a blank piece of paper create a column for divergent questions and a column for convergent questions.

1) Tally how many questions the educator asks in each category.

2) Note how the educator uses convergent and divergent questions.

3) Note how students responded to the questions.

Push yourself to ask better questions and you will see student curiosity increased. It’s better than Red Bull!

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew