Why great thinkers ask divergent questions | Natalie Nixon

[@bigthink]

What's your advice on how to ask better questions?

[@TobyHardtospell]

-If you're learning something new, don't be shy about asking questions and write down the answers so you can refer back to them later. -Remember the ultimate goal of a project and what you want the result to look like, and ask yourself (or others) whether intermediate steps serve that or are a distraction.

[@kariannecrysler640]

Never ever feel ashamed because you don’t know. Do not let others shame you for wanting to know what you do not. Best advice I have about questioning.❤ We are made to discover. Our senses & brains are developed for the intake of information from the world around us. Take pride in using yourself as you were made to do & be patient with the big questions. Something’s are complex and may take a lifetime, but it’s ok to not know. No shame in wanting answers.

[@joshtomato]

We sometimes miss the fundamentals. Ask a question like you're 5 years old.

[@tapeshkushmi]

To ask better question - ask questions that seems childish - ask questions from different views - ask questions that are easy to understand and open ended.

[@Bodyknowledge77]

First admit you don't know. Don't resist and accept. As hard as that is. Can't be and don't need to be "perfect".

[@Raja-ei6fy]

Why is gamora?

[@user-bf3yh6ue7p]

I have a better question, who is gamora?

[@Mak7even]

@@user-bf3yh6ue7p dude, you'd better ask when is gamora?

[@denissetiawan3645]

@@Mak7even what is gamora?

[@b3nch451]

Love what happened here

[@DeckardShaw9]

@@denissetiawan3645 whose is Gamora?

[@straightuntotruth]

The way to develop your intellect: 1). Don’t take ANYTHING for granted. 2). Question EVERYTHING.

[@apple1231230]

Idk how to make others passionate about learning and embrace their curiosity, but I’m so happy that I value these traits so highly.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

by removing the grading systems. why would anyone want a permanent record of something that reminds them that they're a failure?

[@apple1231230]

@@Dave_of_Mordor grades can be usefull and also can be detrimental. good point but i dont think that is the entirety of the problem

[@AntyGreen]

@@apple1231230 I would love to hear ideas for this question too

[@freestylegamingartist8192]

​@@Dave_of_MordorThe problem seems more linked to what failure means and when to compare yourself to others versus the journey of learning which may be at a different pace for others. It is important to be able to handle failure and push on. It just depends on whether you take it personally or not, and also if you are using a fair measurement to grade yourself. Like for example, maybe a student fails 12th grade, and when we look at how they got to 12th grade, their 11th grade curriculum and teachers really sucked and they barely passed which is why they are struggling to keep up. This means they need to re-do grade 11 (or have a private teacher/tutor) catch them up. Maybe re-do a year privately if they can afford to. But sometimes it is better to just re-do a year. It's a humbling experience, and that's not a bad thing, but it is a hard thing.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

​@@freestylegamingartist8192 maybe it's because we both live in different "world" but when I was a kid and even in college, getting a good grade on the first try brings many opportunities. teachers are often more forgiving of your mistakes and will even recommend your parents some programs they can put you in to improve your academic talent. as you improve your skills in these programs, you get the opportunity to apply to get accepted into schools that ivy league colleges usually look for at the beginning of every fall semesters (of course they look at the lesser schools too, but their goals are the kids in the better schools). from there, opportunities will keep coming your way as you move up and make connections with people similar to you. those who are held back or had to repeat their grade won't get these same opportunities. in fact, they are often ignored, forgotten and teachers won't even want to help them because why would you help someone who reminds you that you are not good at your job? i'm sorry for going off topic, but what i'm trying to say with my long paragraph above is that it's difficult for a kid to think about their "journey of learning" when their parents, teachers and the majority of their classmates have the opposite idea of what learning is and what their grades represent. to those who are not academically inclined, their grades will always be a reminder that they are a failure in their society. maybe if they somehow become financially successful or stable, they can look back and think like you, but i don't see that happen to many people.

[@timshipp1145]

Listening is equally important. A dying art, for sure.

[@181cameron]

WHAT?!

[@DtodaJ]

In a world where AI may dominate many aspects of life, this is probably a really well-timed video 👀

[@TimJohnston911]

This is especially important now with AI because the quality of the response you get from Chat GPT is often based on the quality of the question.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

or we could just let it be so we don't have to work anymore

[@tawanda321]

My understanding of this video is, inasmuch as we ask QTNs that are specific to our needs, we should also ask further QTNs that allow for a wider scope of responses. A wider scope of answers means a greater platform to be creative with the responses we get. So we improve asking QTNs by asking QTNs that are not necessarily focussed on the specific thing/item that you want to know about. We are encouraged to ask other QTNs that surround the main subject.

[@carpballet]

Where in god’s name did you learn “QTN” is an abbreviation for “question?” (It’s not)

[@181cameron]

Asking the same question(s) several times, to different groups of people would help, too.

[@Yaxoi]

I like how "What is Alaska?" is featured as an example of a well asked question (presumably)

[@bigthink]

Answer the question, Yaxoi

[@kariannecrysler640]

I enjoy the physical aspect of learning because it forces you to use your brain “in body”. You can get lost in thoughts. By focusing those thoughts on your body’s intentional movements, for a specific purpose, can help balance the mind & body. I often find myself thinking broader after doing this, so it’s a great tool in overcoming roadblocks in your thoughts.

[@zaradaoua5490]

What do you mean by physical aspect of learning ? Do you have examples ?

[@kariannecrysler640]

@@zaradaoua5490 I am a hands on type learner. Monkey see monkey do. In learning I write things out or make a model to cement the concept into my memory. Playing my musical instruments is another example…. So maybe it’s the muscle memory that I like. I look at the notes and my body does the correct movements now with minimal effort. Just the thought of the note makes my body respond almost instantly like the thought of note is the movement. I really enjoy this. Hand eye coordination & muscle memory are things I have kept with minimal effort or practice once I get it down, to me that’s exceptional. I hope that helps explain. I am not a scholar so we are working with laymen terms here lol

[@16MrMattie]

@@kariannecrysler640 You're comment got me thinking of my similar tool to learning in the office. While I type an email everyone is able to feel their hands while typing. If you're balance the energy 50/50 to your body and mind like that, you will notice that inspiration comes up for the task you're doing (as you say "purpose").

[@zaradaoua5490]

@@kariannecrysler640 It's very clear, I really love your example ! Thank you for your answer :)

[@ReflectionOcean]

divergent questions (e.g., "Why?" "What if?") expand thinking convergent questions (e.g., "What?" "Where?" "When?") are more tactical be a "clumsy student" of something new to build confidence in asking questions and to enhance creative thinking

[@baronhelmut2701]

Creativity is only useful if your analytical skill can keep up. An analytical thinker can still copy others to derive the best solution. But a creative thinker can only get so far. Hence why a combination of an analytical thinker and creative thinker is the optimal person for innovation. Lets call it the creative-analytical thinker.

[@bountyhunter6180]

In the spirit of asking questions, Why are so many people hating on the video? I didn't find anything wrong with the form or content, I wonder what I missed. I'd be interested to hear from people with a different viewpoint.

[@swdrre-upload5423]

I'm quite certain it's mainly because the video doesn't provide concrete solution to the question that is being raised herr. Which is fine for me but I guess not for the rest of people here

[@DarthTanaris]

Did people expect something more from a 5 minute video? I think it was a fine video for the time limit they have on this channel.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

@@DarthTanaris we clicked and expected something a little more than this. the time limit is not an excuse

[@sasha_nivar]

Everything about this video resonated with me, from being curious, to the deep observation in dancing, and asking questions as a type of thinking!

[@avonsternen6034]

Listening is at least as important as questioning to the extent that insight seeds progress.

[@mraarontorres]

Question. Ing everything is natural for me.The problem is everybody's authoritarian and doesn't like being questioned

[@mariazamora4595]

In my perspective what makes us human is the capacity to feel. Feelings have the power the power to transform the intangible into tangible. Creativity requires imagination and the capacity to feel. Curiosity requires passion, interest in learning, thirst for learning, think deep and you ask so many questions and you investigate, you have a creative curiosity of the process in order to understand how to apply the knowledge in a creative way, in order to apply creative solutions, etc. It’s a beautiful dance between imagination, creativity, emotions and analytical, systems thinking. A beautiful dance between right and left side of our brains and the engine is the heart. Beautiful dance between heart and brain, makes art, beauty, intangible into tangible.

[@andersv20]

1:59 "I wonder what's this red button do?" - Dumb Ways to Die

[@ylin7907]

Fortunately, I was rational enough to read the comments first. I knew a video with a topic that general yet with a length of less than 5 min would most likely be a chock-full of nothing.

[@duckbizniz663]

Another helpful video by Big Think. Of course, it is easy to say we must innovate, we must be creative, ... It is very difficult to innovate or be creative. To innovate or to think creatively is the challenge.

[@kebonsawit4513]

I was still did'nt understand what's she talked about...? Any one could make it simple..?

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

according to chatGPT: "Natalie Nixon, author of "The Creativity Leap," emphasizes the importance of inquiry and questioning to encourage creativity and innovation. There are two types of questions, divergent and convergent, and both are essential in building curiosity. While convergent questions focus on tactical issues such as what, when, and where, divergent questions are expansive, such as "why" and "what if." Nixon suggests that we become clumsy students of something, as deep observation and asking questions are required to learn. She also emphasizes that creativity is essential for surviving automation and robotics, and organizations should encourage a culture of curiosity and questioning."

[@curlyfrys5279]

thought i was alone in this, thank you!

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

'Who am I?' is surely the mother of all questions

[@adinavaida3423]

If you don't know who can?

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

@@adinavaida3423 knowing and capacity to know aren’t the same

[@riceboybebop7018]

You are sunshine lollipops. A youtube commenter. A modern human in 2023. You come from human parents.

[@saneinsein5343]

What is your target? Like what kind of answer do you expect? Is the "who" refering to your abilities, your social identity, your reason or purpose for existence, your achievements and failures, your summation of good and bad deeds? Do you expect this "who" to be defined before your birth or is it established as you are living by?

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

@@riceboybebop7018 those are names, but do names sufficiently represent the conscious experiencer that is me?

[@theuglykwan]

I'm guessing she counts Kamala Harris among her students? It was like an informercial that keeps teasing but never gives you anything.

[@CharmaineOkazaki]

I disagree, as a teacher, it gave me the idea of using an oracy prompt "I wonder" in my classroom to facilitate inquiry-based learning.

[@happykillmore349]

Trump isn't going to fuck you

[@moomoocamus2]

I'm not perusing innovation. I'm pursuing the rent.

[@181cameron]

Same here, but we can try to make time to think, ask, and improve. That said...I don't know how/when I'd get that time. (Although I have been online for the last hour looking at videos)

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

you can always get 2 more jobs. if you live frugally and sacrifice your sleep for 10 years, you'll be well off.

[@Richard28012009]

Thank you very much.

[@Emc4421]

“If you want a different output, you need to ask a different set of questions.” Chatgpt disagrees. I’ve had it contradict itself when asked the same exact logic statement. It will answer true then false on the same word for word true or false question.

[@WorldThinkers]

Really interresting, well done @NatalieNixon

[@MrJsourouh]

the music on this makes it hard to focus on what she is saying

[@matveyshishov]

If a tubular frame 4x4 rally car wins the race by going through ditches and dirt, does it mean you'll win the race by doing the same in your toyota camry? If great thinkers ask divergent questions, does it mean you'll get better at thinking by using a smart-sounding non-descriptive word "divergent", and out of the blue asking "what if the Moon is made of cheese?" or "should we all wear sepal rings and walk naked?" (very divergent, you know).

[@darbs1977]

Be a clumsy student you say... How do you know me!? 😂

[@hanson2649]

I love you

[@spenceruchiha6630]

Why are people hating on this video? 😂

[@Thrillkilled]

because it’s a black chick

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

she isn't giving us any valuable knowledge. nothing she said can help us improve our thought process and ask divergent questions. i don't like that some people here immediately jump to racism. it's time to grow up, guys

[@eliezerjimenezsanchez8556]

@@Dave_of_Mordor I learned a lot with this video, and more reading the comments.

[@cloverlengocphuong2197]

lesson imported in my head.

[@M.....................]

I blame editing- the short form video needs to include practical elements. Question: Is there a way to re-release this video with more practical ways to ask questions. I assume people click to watch because they are already curious.

[@bigthink]

We switched the title and thumbnail in response to comments like yours that didn't feel it matched the content. It's good to know people are interested in specific ways to ask better questions, though - we may release more content tailored to that in the future!

[@schwaggg17]

It felt like she spoke for 5 minutes without actually saying anything

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

it's like that for most big think videos

[@Shouzeegestof]

I want my 5 mins spent watching this back

[@fredericosimoes3940]

You should do it in a question formate, like "Can i get my 5 mins spent watching this back, please?"

[@PerceptionVsReality333]

Five minutes of babbling nothing.

[@CalAndAly]

Ya this one fell quite flat compared to the others

[@tabbeyah5351]

Totally

[@thijsvandenbroek9097]

Thanks for the heads-up

[@happykillmore349]

They changed the title of this to be less clickbaity, and it still has nothing to do with the word-salad they presented.

[@jamesbeemer7855]

Divergent thinkers . Is like being able to see both side of the same coin ? Because I try to do that all the time .

[@JasperH5150]

What is it with the loud music? I can barely understand what they are saying!

[@just.keep.moving.]

Alaska is home.

[@AlejandraBlancoSantos-fx4nz]

Music name?

[@kakungcu]

Divergent questions

[@renegroulx7029]

I keep hearing, things will be replaced by robotics and automation. Okay, so then now is the time to get into that then.

[@Xcalator35]

This lady keeps going round n round and not saying anything new!

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

maybe that's the point. i think she is trying to get people to think in order to ask divergent questions, but she's not doing a good job at it

[@andheydsj]

I have a question for you all. In world that is driven by Ai and Robotics, firstly why do you need money? Money historically gave us a lubricant to navigate value of things, but if we can produce goods and services at almost zero cost because of the huge increases in productivity, then the value of everything is literally 0. Ergo continuing with money as an ideology is inherently wrong as it creates with it some very powerful and problematic power/control dynamics which we need to get rid of. Secondly, to me at least this is partially tied in with how the western world seems to be imploding at the moment. Capitalism as defined and used last century no longer has much to say about how to navigate a world with such technologies without it collapsing into dystopia, OR as we seem to be seeing a lot more of, moving backwards in time several decades which is I guess an attempt for capitalism to take itself back to a time it had more clout. One way or another these things need to be resolved in the next few decades otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.

[@GabiSS3289]

Great and thought provoking. But how can we move away from capitalism as indivuals. Unless we generate collectively people with money will never give it up and continue to hold power hostage over the poor

[@andheydsj]

@@GabiSS3289 We don't do it as individuals, we need more collective action. I'm hoping someone clever creates an app for collective action. We need a tool that creates working class unity towards a goal that is achievable. One step at a time.

[@nahorsurazal3803]

You do realize that there are things that we find valuable that are not produce. For example limited amount of beach front property that lots of people would like to live. If everything is free how do we decide who get what when and how in light of limited resources.

[@MrMegaGamerMan]

Hi, algorithm!

[@sagarshrestha5800]

I thought this video is about asking killers

[@user-bf3yh6ue7p]

How did you get to that conclusion lmao

[@bioptimization]

​@@user-bf3yh6ue7p 😅

[@christopherdixon2949]

Why does my buttocks look like a pancake? Lol 😂

[@JennWest-Liberty]

We MUST stop allowing others to hold us back by their irrational beliefs.

[@Rob-gd3gp]

What were the two questions?

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

what are the 4 steps process to become a millionaire? why are we not spending our money meaningful to help improve society, but hoarding them instead?

[@ThunderKat]

Well hope they get creative in the future and understand we need to stop the overpopulation to solve every single issue people might talk about now and there.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

i don't think we're overpopulated at all. why would you say that?

[@ThunderKat]

@@Dave_of_Mordor Maybe you never contemplated the idea of cows roaming free without any care and that been enough to sustain human population around it. We are killing the ecosystems just to create an industry to feed our demands and leave no room for other species as we keep growing in numbers steady to no end. There might be enough food but at what cost, even in small countries species went extinct and not just that, now we are facing the secondary effect of all the trash we leave behind. Just imagine a world with just 1 millions humans on it, imagine all that garbage watching away in a couple thousand years and nature expanding once again to bring freetail soil all over again. We are the main source of all problems, we might fight against it and lie to ourselves about having solution to fight it but at the end the problem is simple. Earth space is limited and we are spreading beyond his capabilities to self sustain it.

[@lionbraz]

THen you ask a good question in a traditional business, and now it is your task to "research" on it, but if your answer isn't able to get profit, you are fucked up for being losing time watchin the clouds....

[@junetakesover]

what makes us uniquely human is suffering.

[@earther_01]

no it doesn't, animals suffer too

[@junetakesover]

@@earther_01 suffering is different than pain, suffering is the meaning we attribute to pain. This is what makes us uniquely human.

[@daftpunkfunk]

@@junetakesover tell that to an animal kept in a zoo

[@junetakesover]

@@daftpunkfunk suffering leads to the search of meaning and from that religion, philosophy, art, literature, etc, all spring from there

[@user26344]

@@junetakesover I can see what you’re saying. I’m an atheist who practices stoicism, which should mean I suffer the least amongst everyone. And I do personally feel very different from everyone else. More robot than human tbh. Maybe if I decided to be open to suffering and act on it, I’d act more human.

[@shau6346]

good vid, but not related to the title as much

[@wstrat3623]

Give my 5 minutes back

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

can you not time travel?

[@amoltakkalki]

Big think: this is becoming more like ted talks. :)

[@waleedahmed8759]

Where's the content

[@sagarshrestha5800]

What are we here for if everything revert back and fort continuously

[@robenwayne9060]

Waste of 5 min of my life...

[@Mak7even]

Thanks for saving mine though))

[@robenwayne9060]

@@Mak7even Anytime mate

[@jeffjones6951]

​@@robenwayne9060 This video wasted 2.9 minutes of my life. I listen at 1.75x speed

[@lawrencedsilva4298]

Thought this video would be better than it is. Didn't really feel like it was saying much. That said I liked the 'clumsy student' idea....

[@CallMeMasterBabo]

can u try different background music, it sounds a little goofy

[@benjamindover5676]

What a waste of time.

[@sirtom3011]

She’s just waffling and saying nothing! Bye

[@jeffjones6951]

Pure drivel

[@tangyzhangy]

the joke is on you i dont have the mental capacity to think

[@DS-ow3ug]

Too much said, nothing specific though. Still don’t know how to ask questions, properly 😂

[@piRatCaptain]

Why?

[@RichardEnglander]

Yep, lots of noise...

[@dmcentYT]

Glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t hear anything here. Literally some common sense mixed with words.

[@brunawundervald3878]

Almost all of their videos are like this

[@pohkeee]

Giving you a formula would be soooo, ironic! It’s YOUR curiosity…form your own questions. Did someone teach you that asking your own questions was not acceptable? Hang out with toddlers before they go to “ school”…there aren’t any formulas…everything, in every way if fair game…and they don’t feel humiliated…unless someone teaches the to be ashamed of their questions.

[@game_is_onnn]

3:25 AI say that's wrong

[@sebastianconrad6823]

she lost me the second she said "one of my superpowers is..."

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

she's trying to connect

[@PrtyNeal]

Tells you had sad state of affairs is for neurotypical people. They gotta be train on how to think.

[@chippysteve4524]

"One of my superpowers is...." I think she cd do with an injection of humility if she wants to get through to people. Oh the irony!!! :-)

[@janehitt646]

You people don't want those of us who do think, differently or other wise. I have been beat down all my life because I can out think the people I worked with. I can also think around corners. For all the good it has done me and the ones I worked with. They saw a golden egg and killed the goose to see if there were more inside.

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

i don't think people hate you for thinking differently than them. it could be that you have a condescending tone, too overcorrect, and an "actually it's..." guy in your workplace and it comes off very annoying. what i'm trying to say is that it could be a communication issue.

[@Alycelibby]

There’s a difference between condescending and confident. This is not condescending. Condescending would require one to be directly exhibiting “I’m better than thou” attitude. It’s a whole other situation similar to: the topic of, for ex, education comes up and an individual has multiple degrees. Factually talking about this is normal. It’s another story if one is putting the other individual down based on the topic of education. Being straight up insecure thou is being straight up insecure ! And yes I’m damn annoying, damn different, damn neurodivergent and damn treated differently. But go on with that status quo life.

[@kastenolsen9577]

The only "stupid" question is the question not asked!

[@fatehyabali]

Ba

[@turuttumpak1666]

Infj triggered😮

[@tomasluna9460]

Thanks for a big fat ad :|

[@riyadhri]

Nothing is explained in this content. This might be worst one you uploaded.

[@darenalleyne466]

💙

[@pyeitme508]

Yep 👍

[@yileizhang3545]

This episode has too many ambiguous and abstract terms compared with other ones.

[@khaimgulkovich3368]

Innovation for innovation sake is immoral.

[@__angel__a]

I really enjoy this channel, but this wasn't very helpful :(

[@drkarenbukharibukhari9931]

🎉gemsyedaroyalitirdr🎉

[@jeffjones6951]

Worst Big Think video in 3 years I've followed. Trite

[@WahrheitMachtFrei.]

Sounds like Kamala Harris, I sense a pattern somewhere...

[@estebansaona6188]

Min 4:35 is the only significant thing she said

[@apoorvkumar5805]

First one to comment

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

No, I was first

[@shingiraimusinga3571]

Nice

[@catsozen]

I apoorv 👍

[@hud86]

Is this Kamala's sister or something? I talk with my toddler like this, how is it becoming common language amongst adults? Where's the maturity gone? I want adults damnit!

[@halhal-my4pt]

This was such a waste of time.

[@Mr.Happy7ODSubscribe]

Is justice (and what is justice) only for those who can afford it? The constitution only grants a free attorney if you are a defendant in a criminal case. Is anything real? We have no answer yet live in this system with hundreds of thousands of laws. Yet the Supreme law of existence has yet to be validated.

[@ShitWrangler]

Not in Canada, don't bother.