Reduce defensiveness, avoid loaded framing, and get clearer answers from people and AI.
When we ask questions with built-in assumptions, we don’t get the full truth—we get an echo of what we already believe.
This doesn’t just affect research and decision-making—it can damage trust in conversations, escalate conflict, and keep us stuck in old thinking patterns.
Bias-heavy questions can also cause AI to mirror those assumptions, giving you an answer that feels right but hides important perspectives.
TEG-Blue Insight
From a TEG-Blue perspective, biased questions often come from Protect–Defense Mode.
When we feel uncertain or threatened, our nervous system seeks safety through certainty—so we unconsciously shape questions to confirm what we already believe.
By naming the mode we’re in and shifting toward Connect–Belonging Mode, we open space for curiosity and more balanced answers.
This is not about being “neutral” for its own sake—it’s about creating the conditions for real clarity.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Name your goal – Write down the real decision or understanding you’re seeking.
- Surface your assumptions – List what you already believe about the topic.
- Add a falsifier – Ask yourself: What would change my mind?
- Invite both sides – Request pros and cons, benefits and drawbacks.
- Set your criteria – Decide how you’ll weigh or compare the answers.
- Include alternatives – Ask for other ways to approach the question.
Quick Template
Goal: [what I need to decide or understand]
Assumptions: [current belief]
Falsifier: [what would change my mind]
Ask: [neutral question]
Criteria: [how I’ll judge the answers]
Also include: strongest counter-view, trade-offs, and possible blind spotsExamples (Before/After)
Biased:
“Isn’t therapy just a scam to make people dependent?”
Neutral:
“When does therapy increase resilience vs. create dependency? Summarize evidence for both, list limits, and note any early warning signs.”
Reflection
When we remove bias from our questions, we don’t just get better answers—we also show respect for the truth, for the people we ask, and for ourselves.
We leave room to be surprised, to grow, and to change course if the facts demand it.
Practice Prompt
Take one of the last five questions you’ve asked (to a person, online, or to AI) and reword it using the template above.
Notice how the answer changes—and how you feel reading it.
TEG-Blue™ is a place for people who care-about dignity, about repair, about building something better. It’s a map, an invitation, and a growing toolbox, as an evolving commons—supporting emotional clarity, systemic healing, and collective wisdom. Here, healing doesn’t require perfection—just honesty, responsibility, and support.