Creating your Conversation Guide– Designing question prompts
This guide will help you design effective prompts for story-based conversations. It introduces a mindset, a framework, and concrete methods to guide your process.
Mindset: From Curiosity to Clarity
Think of yourself not just as a facilitator, but as a question designer. Your goal is to move from broad curiosities to clear, inviting prompts that help people tell meaningful stories and have great conversations.
First start with asking yourself:
- What are you truly curious about?
- Why is that curiosity important?
- Who do you want to hear from — and why?
💡 Tip: Your listening blueprint can come in handy for this step! See article on listening blueprint here.
Method 1: Open, Easy, Moving — The Prompt Design Framework
This framework will help refine your prompts:
| Trait | Ask Yourself… |
| Open | Does the question invite multiple perspectives and personal experiences? |
| Easy | Can everyone understand and answer it without specialized knowledge? |
| Moving | Is it engaging, emotionally resonant, and relevant to participants? |
Example:
| |
Method 2: Universal Question Forms
These three forms help shape your raw ideas into strong prompts:
1. Journey Prompts – Elicit lived experience
“Tell us about a time when _______.”
“Describe how you (or your family, community…) experienced _______.”
2. Imagination Prompts – Invite hope, creativity, or possibility
“Imagine a future where _______ — what does it look like?”
“What are your hopes for the next generation when it comes to _______?”
3. Classic Prompts – Dig deeper into understanding
“What does ______ mean to you or your community?”
“How does ______ shape your sense of identity or place?”
Use these forms with your curiosity topics to generate multiple draft prompts, then refine using the Open, Easy, Moving framework.
Example: From Broad Topic to Final Prompt
Curiosity Topic: Climate change & local impact
| Step | Example |
| Broad Curiosity | “How do people feel about climate change?” |
| Journey Form | “Tell us about a time when you felt the effects of climate change in your area. What emotions did you experience?” |
| Imagination Form | “Imagine that your community took bold action on climate change — what changes would you see in daily life?” |
| Classic Form | “What do people in your neighborhood do when extreme weather happens?” |
| Now ask: Is it open? Is it easy? Is it moving? | |
Tips for Designing Prompts Independently
- Start with a big curiosity → Break it down → Shape it using the forms
- Say your prompts out loud — do they feel natural? Are they easy to understand and respond to?
- Avoid "yes/no" prompts
- Keep prompts grounded in personal experience