The Columbo Tactic
In our last text from Luke 18:18-27, we saw Jesus use questions as a strategy to expose a man’s heart. Alan Shlemon from Stand to Reason has some great thoughts on that strategy. Here is a sample.
The Columbo tactic is a simple, yet powerful tactic. It involves
asking questions to productively advance the conversation. It puts you
in control of the conversation in a disarming manner. Although there
are many types of Columbo questions, its most modest application is
to help you gain information.
This application is easy to employ and can be used to great avail among the novice or most advanced conversationalists. It can be a
conversation-starter or an aide to bail you out when you hit a roadblock. Some key questions might include, “What do you mean by…?” or “Can you tell me more about…?” or “What, exactly, is your view on…?” The goal in each case is to get the other person to spell out their view, point, or objection.
Asking these kinds of questions accomplishes some important goals:
• It puts you in control of the conversation
• It keeps you out of the hot seat so the pressure is off of you
• It demonstrates respect for the other person by asking them what they believe
• It helps you gain valuable information about their view so you don’t misrepresent it
• It buys you time and gives you more material to work from to develop your response.
The great thing about the Columbo tactic is that you don’t have to know a lot about the subject matter to engage a non-Christian in a meaningful dialogue. You can just stay in fact-finding mode and ask questions. If the other person turns the tables, you have the option to answer if you choose. If not, you can simply defer by saying, “That’s a good question. I’m not sure I’ve thought too much about it. Let me chew on that for a bit and I’ll get back to you.” Then, at your leisure, you can research the answer or collect your thoughts on the issue and restart the conversation in the future.