Table 2 Examples of circular questions [1–3, 40, 42, 43, 45, 53, 54] adapted to debriefings
Question typea | Difference | Context | Observer perspective | Hypothetical future | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Objective | Understanding | Influencing | |||||||||||
Purpose | Explore how behavior varies according to contexts | “Fluidize” personality characteristics | Explore causal attributions and diverse views | Explore sequences | Explore meaning of behavior within a context | Become a better observer of oneself | Encourage “other” awareness | Explore interpersonal perception | Explore interpersonal interaction | Highlight potential consequences | Explore catastrophic expectations | Explore future action | Explore dilemmas |
Examples | “When do your colleagues speak up most? … What is different in these situations?” | “What does she do when she does not seem to be interested in your opinion? … How do you explain that?” | “If he insists on doing the checklist, do you imagine he does this as a matter of principle or because he is convinced of its use in this situation?” | “In the OR, is there more speaking up before or after the attending joins the team?” | “How do you explain that she was shouting multiple instructions at the same time?” | “When you responded the way you did, how did you feel about your reaction?” “If an intern had observed your interaction, what do think he might have learned from you?” | “What do you imagine he experiences when he gets into a situation like that?” | “What does he think that you think is going on when he starts yelling?” | To A: “What do you do when she starts doing the checklist without everybody being present? … And when you do this, what does she do?” To B: “What do you do when he makes that comment? … And when you do this, what does he do?” | “If you continued not to talk about it, what do you expect would happen to the team?” | “What are you worried might happen if you said that you have never placed a central line before?” | “If she were saying ‘OK, I’ll take the lead’ when she is joining a resuscitation, what do you imagine the other team members would do?” | “If she were joining this critical situation as attending—do you imagine her first goal is to get an overview or distribute tasks among team members?” |