Intercultural Questioning, Child Solidiers and Mud Huts

Intercultural communication tips.

With more of the world speaking English as a second language than as a first, I think it is important to distinguish the difference in how commutation can be done effectively. The first rule is that although English is limited, a person can still be very intelligent. Although this seems like a stupid observation, I find it is an important one to draw attention to. Simple words do not indicate simple thoughts. So the challenge is to ask questions in simple words, but ones which can allow for a complex response.
For example, when asking a question, I typically ask the question that I want answered instead of the literal question that I have. For example,
I have the question, what type of people build these thatched huts, how does society pass on this traditional building technique, and are only certain people building these.
This is a complex question and I am more interested in getting the answer than asking an elegant question. So I think to myself, what question is simple, quick and will provide an answer that is satisfying to my questions. I asked this one instead,
can all people build these thatched huts if they wanted too? **answer below
Walla this seemed to work. Because the person read into my question and honoured it by providing a full answer, my curiosity was satisfied.
Also, I find that providing a context is helpful for leading a person to answer the question you are curious about. For example here is one that I asked today at the World Vision Camp that provides counselling to former child soldiers:
A lot of the mental health therapies from the west. Do you provide therapy to child soldiers that involve traditional dancing or other truly Ugandan forms of therapy? **answer below
If I were to ask just the question part, in my experience, I would not gotten an answer in the direction that I was hoping for.

Answer Key

Thatched huts are part of a traditional Acholii man’s education. Boys learn to construct one and smear the outside with dark mud which makes it look beautiful.

The Ugandan forms of therapy involve traditional dance. Which provides a rhythmic way to exercise, connect with history and connect with a larger sense of family. Also, a sense of global relationship is formed by creating a pen pal network. When former child soldiers get and send mail to their pals in the US, they feel like the world cares about them. Also play therapy and art therapy are used for both assessment and therapy tools.