Seven+Servants

**Rudyard Kipling** wrote a short poem outlining a powerful set of questions: //I keep six honest serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who.// Whenever in doubt as to what to ask, just dip into these questions.

**What**
'What?' often asks for [|noun] responses, seeking things that are or will be. They may also seek [|verbs] when they seek actions. 'What' questions include: //What are you doing? What shall we do next? What happened? What is stopping you from succeeding? What is the most important thing to do now?// Three 'Whats' that may be asked in sequence to solve problems are: //What are you trying to achieve? What is the real problem? What is the solution?//

**Why**
Asking 'why' seeks [|cause-and-effect]. If you know the reason why people have done something, then you gain a deeper understanding of them. If you know how the world works, then you may be able to affect how it changes in the future. Asking 'why' seeks logical connections and shows you to be rational in your thinking. It can also be a good way of creating a pause or distraction in a conversation, as many people make assertive statements but without knowing the real 'why' behind those assertions. A reversal of 'Why' is to ask 'Why not', which is a wonderful creative problem for stimulating people to think 'outside the box'. Why questions include: //Why did you do that? Why did that happen? Why is it important for us to try it again? Why not give it a try?//

**When**
'When' seeks location in time and can imply two different types of time. 'When', first of all, can ask for a specific single time, for example when a person will arrive at a given place or when an action will be completed. 'When' may also seek a duration, a period of time, such as when a person will take a holiday. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//When will you be finished? When will you give me the money? When are you taking your holiday? (next Summer)//

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 8px;">**How**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">'How' seeks [|verbs] of process. They thus are good for [|probing] into deeper detail of what has happened or what will happen. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//How did you achieve that? How shall we get there? How will you know she likes you?// <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">'How' may also be used with other words to probe into time and quantity. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//How __often__ will you see me? How __much__ do you owe him?//

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 8px;">**Where**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">'Where' seeks to locate an action or event in three-dimensional space. This can be simple space, such as //on, above, under, below//. It can be regional space, such as //next door// or //in the other building//. It can be geographic space, such as //New York, London// or //Paris//. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">If something is going to be delivered or done, then asking 'Where' is a very good companion to asking 'When' to clarify exactly what delivery will take place. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//Where will you put it? Where will they be delivered?//

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 8px;">**Who**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">The question 'Who' brings people into the frame, connecting them with actions and things. The 'Who' of many situations includes 'stakeholders', who are all the people who have an interest in the action. Key people to identify are those who will pay for and receive the benefits of the action. Of course, you also may want to know who is going to do the work and whose neck is on the line -- that is who is ultimately responsible. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//Who is this work for? Who will benefit most from what you propose? Who else would be interested?//

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 8px;">**Assumptive questions**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">Kipling questions provide a simple method of using [|assumptive] questions that act as if something is true, then hide it in a question: <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//How much do you care?// (assumption: you care) //How will you persuade her?// (assumption: you will seek to persuade her) //Where will you buy it?// (assumption: you will buy it) //When will you make the change?// (assumption: you will make the change)

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-top: 8px;">**Solving problems**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; margin-top: 4px;">A simple framework for solving problems may be defined by combining What, Why and How, as follows: <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">//1. What is the problem? 2. Why is it happening? 3. How can you fix it? 4. – Fix it! – 5. Why did it work or not work? 6. What next?// <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; margin-top: 12px;">Material accessed from []

An Acknowledgement to **Sara Taylor** who created this resource (and shared it) many years ago. Sara now resides in Dubai but was previously an ICTPD Facilitator in the Manawatu.

You can download a copy of this resource **HERE**


 * [[image:IMG_5199.JPG width="560" height="371"]]
 * Colour printed resource
 * Laminated
 * Attached to a lanyard for Thinkers Toolbox (could be on a keyring or swivel clip or individual learner 'set') || [[image:IMG_5200.JPG width="560" height="371"]]
 * When could I use in the classroom for explicit teaching?**
 * News time
 * Story Writing prompt
 * Oral language prompt
 * Literacy circle
 * Reflection time ||