How to Ask Questions Better?
At some point, I started feeling bad about the things I did not know. It got me thinking about how I could ask questions without feeling shy or embarrassed. Then I noticed I needed to adopt a more growth mindset. I realized this means first making peace with yourself. You don’t have to know everything. Acknowledge that how others perceive you will not affect your intelligence and that your fear of embarrassment originates from self-doubt. Even if you feel like you failed, see it as a sign of learning and progress. And do not let others’ judgments stand in your way. So, get in there and look for answers to your questions. However, there are still a few tricks that can help make your questions more effective. I did some research and combined it with my personal experience, and I found ways to ask questions better in a work environment.
- Make sure your question is not already answered. In most cases, the answers you are looking for are lying around. Maybe somebody asked it, but you were not listening. Or the answers are in the documents (internal or external), or all over Google. In this case, you will appear to be a lazy ass for not doing your research before bringing the question up.
- Think it out loud. OK, you are sure that you cannot find the answer elsewhere and you need someone’s assistance. Sometimes you can answer your questions when you ask them out loud. So, first ask it to yourself.
- Narrow your focus. Make sure that the question is straightforward and clear. Narrow down the scope and be specific. The right question will bring you the right answer. Also, do not ask about a whole chapter or for general tutorials. It is not your teammate’s job to teach you everything from scratch. This is what the internet and books are for. Why waste someone else’s time when you can handle it by yourself?
- Go to the right source. There might be a few people who can answer your question. Choose the one that is the most relevant. Maybe someone who is already working on the issue. And among those, the one whose hands are the emptiest. In some cases, if your question might require further action, you need to go to the person with the right permission. So, analyze the question and find the right person.
- Pick the right channel. You do not need to set up a meeting for every one of your questions. Simply, you can ask them on a chat channel too.
- Adjust your tone. Adjust the level of the question according to the person you are seeking information from. You might need to give less or more detail. Also, you might need to approach the person more sensitively if you think they might feel offended or insulted.
- Ask follow-up questions. Since you are already on it, make it worth it and ask any follow-up questions. Make sure that you are satisfied with the answer and do not need to bring it up again.
Okay, hopefully you’ve gotten your answer quickly. Now do not be afraid to be a hero and share it somewhere. Someone else might have the same question in mind. Document it where possible.
