Outline with questions

Facing the Blank Page

In early 2024, as Johannesburg’s winter gave way to gentler days, I prepared once again to speak at UX South Africa. My proposed topic—navigating change in the era of artificial intelligence—had felt fresh when I submitted it. But when I sat down to draft my talk, an unwelcome dread crept in. AI had become a familiar headline, and my mind cycled through well-worn angles: AI in education, the automation of creative work, the shifting demands on human skill sets. None sparked the thrill of new discovery.

That moment of paralysis revealed a universal truth of public speaking: no matter how often you take the stage, every new presentation summons uncertainty. Rather than seeing this uncertainty as a barrier, however, I came to view it as a call to adventure—a beacon signaling the start of a journey into unexplored territory.

The Classical Foundations: Why Questions Matter

This realization led me to re-examine how questions spark discovery, both in ancient philosophy and modern practice. Socrates, who left no written works yet transformed Western thought, showed us that questions do more than reveal answers—they refine our perspectives. In dialogues like the Laches, Socrates used open-ended inquiries to invite deeper engagement, then followed with precise challenges that tested assumptions. This dual approach—invitation followed by cross-examination—pushed participants to genuine insight.

Aristotle took a similarly structured approach in his Nicomachean Ethics. When pondering the nature of eudaimonia (human flourishing), he not only defined his own position but addressed potential objections along the way. By contrasting superficial pleasures with deeper fulfillment, he showed how systematic questioning transforms abstract ideas into practical understanding.

Taken together, these methods emphasize that true learning doesn’t stem from passive absorption, but from active discovery guided by thoughtful inquiry. In a modern context—especially one saturated by AI discussions—these classical examples remind us to avoid default narratives, dig into assumptions, and examine opposing perspectives. In doing so, we open the door to insights that go beyond the predictable.

Three Dimensions of Question Development

Vertical Depth

Vertical depth challenges us to go beneath surface-level assumptions. If our initial question about AI is, “How will automation affect creative work?”, deeper inquiry asks, “What distinguishes human creativity in the first place?” and “How do we recognize true innovation in a world where machines generate content alongside humans?” By pushing vertically, we probe essential definitions and core beliefs that shape our thinking.

Horizontal Breadth

Horizontal breadth encourages us to look across contexts and disciplines. Education, for example, isn’t confined to classrooms; it appears in mentorships, apprenticeships, online platforms, and peer-based learning communities. By comparing these domains, we discover patterns that might remain hidden if we stayed in just one field. Insights from music, sports, or coding bootcamps might illuminate how to foster creativity or design better learning experiences.

Temporal Reach

Temporal reach takes us through past, present, and future. History’s revolutions—from the printing press to the internet—reveal patterns that clarify current challenges and help us predict future shifts. By examining how societies adapted to past technological changes, we spot warning signs, recurring themes, and possible trajectories in the AI era.

The Hero’s Journey of Questioning

While classical philosophy offers the foundation, the hero’s journey provides the overarching narrative structure. Imagine your audience as a collective hero, embarking on an adventure. Each stage calls for different kinds of questions that move them from ordinary awareness to a transformed perspective.

1. The Call to Adventure: Opening Questions
   These questions captivate attention and invite personal reflection.

   • “What is the role of education when knowledge is everywhere?”

   • “When did you last need to learn something new? Was it through a class, online forum, or video tutorial?”

   These opening prompts create a sense of shared experience, pulling listeners from their everyday world into a realm of inquiry and possibility.

2. Crossing the Threshold: Problem-Illuminating Questions
   Here, we reveal hidden stakes and consequences.

   • “If knowledge is abundant, what becomes scarce instead?”

   • “How does unlimited access to information disrupt traditional power structures?”

   These questions show why the journey matters. They help the audience see what’s really at risk and sharpen their motivation to find answers.

3. Trials and Tests: Solution-Journey Questions
   In the hero’s journey, obstacles provoke growth. Similarly, solution-focused questions spark discovery.

   • “How might we redefine teachers as wisdom-guides rather than knowledge-providers?”

   • “What if AI’s role in design were collaborative, augmenting human creativity instead of replacing it?”

   By inviting new perspectives, these questions empower listeners to experiment with unconventional solutions.

4. The Return with Insight: Future-Vision Questions
   In the final stage, the hero—and the audience—returns home, changed and ready to act.

   • “What does a classroom of the future look like if it emphasizes wisdom over information transfer?”

   • “How might we prepare design teams to thrive in an environment where human and AI creativity blend?”

   These forward-looking questions close the journey with a sense of possibility and responsibility, encouraging people to apply newfound insights in practical ways.

When Questions Become Second Nature

Over time, this structured approach to asking questions shifts from deliberate technique to habit. As in the hero’s journey, the real transformation happens along the way. You start spotting patterns in casual conversations, drawing parallels between seemingly unrelated fields, and responding to the blank page with curiosity rather than dread.

Initially, you might consciously assign each question a function: an opening question, a problem-illuminating question, a solution question, or a future-vision question. But with practice, these distinctions blur as questions flow naturally from genuine curiosity. A single question can bridge multiple stages at once, highlighting a problem while hinting at solutions, much like a moment in a story that foreshadows future revelations.

Conclusion: The Blank Page as an Invitation

The blank page that once seemed hostile becomes an ally—an invitation to embark on a new quest. Every uncertainty signals that something remains undiscovered. Every doubt points toward a question worth asking.

Like the hero returning with newfound wisdom, we realize that the journey itself shapes our understanding. The classical roots of Socrates and Aristotle remind us that good questions clarify assumptions and inspire deeper thinking. The hero’s journey framework teaches us how to lead our audience through transformation. And the three dimensions—depth, breadth, time—ensure that our inquiry is thorough and engaging.

Embracing this mode of exploration leads to talks and essays that aren’t just informational, but transformative. By deliberately crafting a series of questions, we invite our audiences (and ourselves) to step beyond surface answers, grapple with deeper insights, and imagine new possibilities. That, ultimately, is the power of a good question: it lights the way forward, reminding us that knowledge is a path to be traveled, not a destination to be reached.

Until our next conversation,
Alfi