The art of focused conversations for schools

This page outlines a range of questions that can be used to focus conversation using ORID.

The page also includes an example of how to use this technique and a template that can be used for its implementation.

"Focused conversation method moves through four levels of thinking:

• Objective: dealing with data and sensory observation,
• Reflective: related to personal reactions and associations,
• Interpretive: about meaning, significance and implications, and
• Decisional: concerned with resolution.

Focused conversation method has the potential to:

• extend thinking and learning capacity,
• make learning meaningful,
• make communications in groups effective
• help prevent and solve problems, and
• strengthen the effectiveness of evaluation" (Nelson)