A water question takes the form of the container into which it is poured, but is not a form unto itself. I like to think of these question families as increasing in fluidity, dynamic and strategic power as you go down from level to level. In any use of the strategic questioning process, we would start near the top of the family order and work our way down to the more powerful question families. These questions identify the situation and the key facts necessary to an understanding of the issues at stake. When using questioning with an individual, this is the time when the facts of the situation are presented.
Questions here focus on understanding the relevant parts of their story.
When using strategic questioning in a community polling process, questions focus on how they think about the particular issue at stake. The key in framing the questions is to be open and non-partisan in the questions and in the tone of the questioner. It should be an equally valid question for a person no matter what their position is on the issue. These questions are concerned with what one sees and the information one has heard regarding the situation. These questions focus on the meaning given to events.