Priming the Pump
The expression “priming the pump” has real meaning for people who grew up in a rural area in the fifties. Located in the most rural backyards, water pumps required priming to function. You literally “seeded” water from the ground by pouring a large pitcher of water into the top and then pumping madly up and down on the handle. To a young child who thought that on-demand water came only from a faucet, “water making”—wringing water out of the earth by your own efforts—had special magic.
If there is ever a time when the word “catalyst” applies to the role of mentor, it is during dialogue. The human version of priming the pump is assisting insight making by helping the discussion accomplish its function. There are five skills associated with catalyzing the give-and-take of dialogue: asking initiating or clarifying questions, paraphrasing, summarizing, extending, and using nonverbal cues.
Ask Initiating or Clarifying Questions
An earlier chapter, on Socrates’ great secret (chapter 11), explored the art of stimulating learning by asking questions. The questions that work best are those that are direct but not leading, especially open-ended questions, those beginning with what, when, where, or how. Here are some examples of open-ended questions helpful in initiating and clarifying:
“What was the most challenging part of the task?”
“How did your team approach the problem?”
“Describe what makes this technique important.”
“What are your remaining questions?”
“What have I not asked that you think would be helpful for me to know?”
Paraphrase
The purpose of paraphrasing is to demonstrate that you are listening and that you understand what is being communicated—as though holding a mirror to the discussion. Protégés appreciate knowing that they have been heard accurately, and this serves to prime the discussion pump.
There are four types of paraphrasing:
1. Restatement. In your own words, rather than the protégé’s, state a condensed version of what the protégé said. Don’t simply parrot or repeat the protégé’s exact words; this communicates that you heard the protégé’s statement but not that you understood it.
2. General to specific. If the protégé’s statement is a generalization, you might paraphrase it in more specific terms by expanding on one part of the statement or by giving an example. By stating the specific, you show that you understand the general.
3. Specific to general. If the protégé’s statement is specific, paraphrase by stating a generalization or principle. By formulating a broader response, you indicate not only that you understand the protégé’s statement but also that the protégé’s statement can, in fact, be generalized.
4. Restatement in opposite terms. Convey that you understand the meaning of the protégé’s statement by restating it in opposite terms. For example, if the protégé says that a manager should do something, you can restate by saying that the manager should not do the opposite.
Consider the following statement: “Effective auditing requires the auditor to have a special kind of cautious optimism.” As mentor, you might paraphrase this statement in any of the following ways:
Restatement: “You are saying that the auditor should be open but still careful.”
General to specific: “An auditor should carefully check every entry.”
Specific to general: “Sounds as though you think auditing is complex.”
Restatement in opposite terms: “You mean that the auditor should not be negative and overly suspicious.”
Paraphrasing encourages protégés to say more because they know they have been understood. An important point to remember is to look for a sign that the protégé agrees with your interpretation. If no sign is given, either verbal or nonverbal, ask the protégé whether you’ve paraphrased the statement accurately. If you make mistakes without checking, then you are demonstrating misunderstanding, which will fog the discussion and dampen the learning climate.
One last point on paraphrasing: notice in the examples above that each sentence ends in a period. The goal of paraphrasing is to mirror or reflect your understanding, not to ask a question or make an exclamation. Keep the focus on the protégé. Make certain your inflection turns down, not up. Asking a question puts you in control. Making a statement that ends in an exclamation point calls attention to you. Your goal is to leave the protégé in control and simply mirror what he or she is communicating.
Summarize
Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing. The difference is that the goal of paraphrasing is to mirror the meaning to check for understanding, whereas the goal of summarizing is to synthesize to check for understanding. You synthesize by condensing the meaning of the protégé’s comments into a sentence or two (or, if the comments were lengthy, into a paragraph) and repeating the synthesized information as a summary.
Summarizing typically begins with such phrases as
“In other words, you believe that …,”
“What you’re saying is that …,” and
“In summary, you think that …”
Be careful about how you use certain phrases when summarizing. For example, too many uses of a catchphrase such as “What I hear you saying is … ” can begin to sound mechanical and condescending.
Extend
The purpose of extending is to add scope or depth to a protégé’s comments. If what you add matches the spirit of what the protégé said, it not only communicates understanding but also enriches or expands understanding. Both technical information and information about personal views and feelings can be extended.
Technical information refers to building on the factual content of the protégé’s comment. An example might be, “You make a good point about the auditor’s role in analyzing the corporation’s financial statement. In addition, the auditor needs to ensure that all current regulations are met.”
Information about personal views and feelings is what a learner says about herself during the discussion. You can add to this kind of information, but do so with care. It is a very powerful method for demonstrating deep understanding, but it is also quite difficult to do convincingly and effectively. Extending in this way requires you to empathize strongly with the protégé. Here are two examples of what a mentor might say when extending personal information:
“So you advised your colleague to sue. I was once in exactly the same position. I supervised the diversity function of human resources, and …”
“I agree. After I recovered from the initial shock of my father’s dementia, I felt lonely and angry as well.”
Use Gestures and Body Stance
Your nonverbal behavior can prime the pump of discussion and contribute to a positive learning environment by helping to communicate your understanding. Conversely, certain nonverbal behaviors can have a detrimental effect: shaking your head in disapproval, rolling your eyes to the ceiling, frowning, or suddenly moving forward in your chair. These may convey a negative judgment and make the protégé less inclined to take risks.
An appropriate gesture is to nod your head or say “uh-huh” to indicate understanding and encourage further dialogue. But don’t overdo either of these cues or the protégé may feel that you are trying to manipulate the discussion rather than simply listening and encouraging.