Went to my first Pro Action Cafe in Singapore last night, where people pose questions, and periodically move around the room, mapping out the question, then deepening / linking related ideas, and finally summarizing.

Being a complete n00b, I volunteered a question to discuss the state of C P Snow's Two Cultures, and what it is that we need to know nowadays in order to be a responsible adult. Lots of people voicing for "know thyself", not so many for "know the world" and all of its fields of understanding. We'd rather navel-gaze than gaze at the ever-distant stars.

Despite having read way too many interviewing books, I still need more practice / tactics in asking questions that get people to think. Of course, I don't think quickly, so I shouldn't expect brilliance from people, so maybe the notion should be one of a continuing question, so that repeated exposure gets people thinking about it. At some point though, it could become a bunch of dirt occluding the view of the Venuses in the room.