Asking questions that get good answers | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Sharon Villines (sharon![]() |
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Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:18:29 -0800 (PST) |
I’ve realized lately that I’m tempted to answer fewer and fewer questions on the list. Part of the issue is, of course, that I’ve been responding for 25+ years and am often repeating myself. I realized today that the larger issue is questions that are so general, it would take a book to respond to them. They don’t seem to be based on a group or individual confronting a specific experience or obstacle. They are general what if or what do you think questions about broad topics on which the questioners have done no research and have no experience. They probably don’t know enough to ask a focused question. A question like “How do you design a kitchen for 6 cooks/cleaners?” is so broad and so without context that it takes a lot of words to cover all the possibilities. A better questions are: “If we are cooking for 25 instead of the more normal 3-6, do we need to have a kitchen 5x the size?” “How much food prep counter space do you have? Is it enough?” “Do you have an island and how much space is there for moving around it?” Those are questions that people can answer by sharing their specific experiences and offering advice based on experience. That is the real value of the list. The opportunity to ask experienced cohousers and others who are developing a community specific questions about specific decisions you are trying to make or specific problems you have confronted. For general questions like “What do we need to start a cohousing community?” there is plenty of literature available now as well as a huge archive of Cohousing-L messages to give you a broad foundation. There are also blogs at Cohousing.org. A search of Amazon, “cohousing" brings up at least 5 of the most comprehensive and targeted books on cohousing. Search “cohousing kitchen” and you will find links to messages in the cohousing-L archives, blog posts, images, and videos specifically on cohousing kitchens. Once you have this information you will have the vocabulary and understanding to ask a clear and specific question that will bring many responses. (As you can tell I love reading and research, but I love it for a reason. It works.) Sharon ---- Sharon Villines Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC http://www.takomavillage.org
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