The Delphi Technique
Have you ever heard of loaded questions? Or an amphibole? An amphibole is a phrase or sentence upon which is so vague that two opposing statements can be deciphered from it. For instance, if I say I broke the window with my sister; did my sister and I break the window or did I take my sister and physically break the window with her? Let’s eat Grandma. He fed her dog biscuits. It is bad manners to break your bread and roll in your soup. Flying airplanes are dangerous.
Loaded Questions are those questions that will explode in your face no matter what you answer. “Does this make me look fat?” is a question most guys would say is a loaded questions, but a real loaded questions forces you to accept something that may not be true and then gives you an option to say yes or no to. For instance, the famous loaded question “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Assumes you have been beating your wife and gives you an option to answer yes or no. There is no safe way to answer for if you say yes, you admit you did beat your wife, if you say no then it is worse for that means you are still beating your wife. Either way the loaded question leaves you no alternative but to say you have beat your wife. Did you wet your bed last night? Have you quit picking your nose yet?
These can be fun to play around with, harmful to use in real situations, but what if I were to tell you that a similar approach is being used in government, education, church counsels, and other places upon which a group consensus is used for decision making. A fraudulent democratic operation that uses ‘loaded’ strategies to predetermine the outcome of a democratic vote towards a pre-chosen agenda.
Lynn Stuter - “The facilitator begins by working the crowd to establish a good-guy-bad-guy scenario. Anyone disagreeing with the facilitator must be made to appear as the bad guy, with the facilitator appearing as the good guy. To accomplish this, the facilitator seeks out those who disagree and makes them look foolish, inept, or aggressive, which sends a clear message to the rest of the audience that, if they don’t want the same treatment, they must keep quiet. When the opposition has been identified and alienated, the facilitator becomes the good guy - a friend - and the agenda and direction of the meeting are established without the audience ever realizing what has happened....Each group has its own facilitator. The group facilitators steer participants to discuss preset issues, employing the same tactics as the lead facilitator.”
It is called the Delphi Technique and it is underhanded and very deceptive. If you become victim to this technique, one key is to never let anger get the best of you. Do not play into the facilitators hand. Ask questions instead of making statements that cannot be detracted. Attempt to reveal the facilitator’s agenda by asking questions and turn the tables on the facilitator. Become the good guy and the facilitator cannot trap you like loaded questions can. And that is what the Delphi Technique is in essence, a loaded conversation. One good way to avoid loaded questions is to not answer the question as stated. Rephrase it or state your position independent of the question “I have never beaten my wife.” Don’t play into their hand. Same thing if you run into the Delphi Technique. Don’t play into their hand.
Jared Williams
