37. HONOR QUESTIONS *
Often, participants do not ask questions because they fear that the question is "silly" in the eyes of the fellow participants or the teacher. They fear to show weakness. This is unfortunate because questions show that the participants think about a topic. A question can also give a good hint on the problems the participants might still have with a new topic. Or questions can lead the seminar into a direction that is not part of the SEMINAR PLAN but important for the participants (which is a way to ADAPT TO THE PARTICIPANTS BACKGROUND).
Therefore, motivate the participants to ask questions, also if they seem silly or if they show that a participant does not fully understand the topic. If NOBODY IS PERFECT, the participants need not be perfect, either. Always honor questions, not bright answers. If you have a working group of participants and if they accept you as a partner, the courage to ask "risky" questions raises.
A good way to motivate the participants to ask seemingly silly questions is to answer questions even if they seem silly at the first glimpse. This might force you to LET THE PLAN GO.
This pattern was inspired by Prof. Joseph Bergin at EuroPLOP `99. He gives "tokens of approval" to "participants who reveal that they are struggling with new concepts" [PP].