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Face it. There ARE dumb questions. And you shouldn’t ask them.
Questions can do two things: They can build your credibility or they can take away from your credibility.
Ever been at a meeting where someone asked a question about something that was supposed to be reviewed ahead of time? That automatically ruins the pace of the meeting because someone didn’t do their homework. Doesn’t it suck to be that person?
On the other hand, have you ever been to a meeting where someone asked a question that created a giant pause? There was a pause because everyone took a moment to think. These are the questions that build credibility.
So what’s the key to asking GREAT questions?
Ask questions that make people THINK, not remember.
A GREAT question is one that makes the other person think of the answer. It forces them to look at something in a new light. To question something deeper or to notice something they missed before.
An average question is one that makes someone “remember” something. A fact. A statistic. A process. Sometimes these questions are necessary and are certainly fine in 1 on 1 meetings.
But if you’re in a large meeting, focus on asking the questions that force people to think on a deeper level. Do that and people will view you as older, smarter, and you’ll get that age barrier to disappear.
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Comments
07.02.08
You are so absolutely right! There ARE dumb questions. And depending on your workplace, you sorta have a quota for a number of questions you can ask before your boss loses it, hehe. Before you ask or even talk, you have to have an agenda... and most of the time, it is smart not to ask questions at all, come up with the answer first, maybe act on it, then talk to your boss (but make sure you have your reasoning ironed out).
07.02.08
Haha - You do have a "quota" of dumb questions to ask before people begin noticing...
It's especially notable for people who are:
A) in important roles
B) young
C) new
D) girls with blonde hair
So if your a 21 year old blonde girl who just started an important new job... watch what you say. :)
07.02.08
Wow, so true, glad to hear someone explain it. When I first started work, I had a 3 month training class with a bunch of other new hires. One of my fellow classmates was surrepetitiously named "The Riddler" because his mouth streamed forth a non-stop litany of questions. And bad ones, too. Really, really bad ones. His speciality was the "Statement with a question mark on the end of it." - not really designed to garner information, mostly just to kiss ass and attempt to look good.
07.02.08
@Andy - Same should go for blog posts! If you are giving possesion, then you use "your" (e.g. that is YOUR mistake). But if you're trying to shorten "you are an idiot" whith a contraction, you would use "you're an idiot."
See: "10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid" http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39273376,00.htm
07.02.08
Its all about paying attention. So many people don't. As you stated, when you're new its much harder to ask a dumb question because you are judged right away. This is very important for the Gen Ys to remember because now we are thrust into an older workforce that we more than likely will be managing. They watch like hawks so mind your words.
07.02.08
@Andy - The "statement with a question mark" kid sounds like a character off of the office. Ha! At least you have someone to laugh at during those long training sessions...
@Mark - You're right. That was stupid on my part. That's what I get for blogging at work. Thanks for being so nice about pointing it out. :)
@Tiffany - Paying attention is key. (Although we all have our lapses...)
When Millennials are entering the workforce, they are generally asking for more and more responsibility... A couple dumb questions can quickly determine whether or not they'll get it.
07.03.08
@Andy : You are so right about people in important roles asking stupid questions. I have this weekly meeting with the manager to report my job progress, and he would ask me about issues which I explained the previous week. He is not even asking about updates but the whole background again. It makes me feel like he doesn't bother my report anyway and the whole 1 hour is just a waste of time.
None of my colleagues actually respected him because seemingly, I am not the only ones he direct his dumb questions to.
Great post!
07.03.08
@Sayako - It's so frustrating to be in that position... As you said, it makes you feel like your report doesn't matter.
If he had any clue about our generation, he'd understand that that's a HUGE no-no. Maybe he'll come to his senses... before he loses the respect of his entire staff.
07.03.08
It's also important to only ask the questions with aanswers you'll bee interested in. I've seen quite a few newbies ask questions during meetings that were painfully obvious attempts to show off and the results were always awkward.
07.03.08
It's also important to only ask the questions with answers you'll bee interested in. I've seen quite a few newbies ask questions during meetings that were painfully obvious attempts to show off and the results were always awkward. The best questions are relevant and helpful to the group.
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