Homo Sapiens SUCK at Asking Questions

When is the last time you had a good question to ask? And when was the last time you actually asked it? I don’t know about you, but it was at least 3 weeks ago for me. Now let me twist the question around, when was the last time you heard someone asked a BAD question? Let me guess, 30 minutes ago? In every single meeting, be it official or not, I had been to for the past 23 years, rarely had I ever came out of one, not wanting to smack a person on the head and ask him to please shut up until the meeting ends so that he does not prolong my agony of the already boring meeting.

 

Let me categorize the questions that I usually encounter:

 

• Incomprehensible to human civilization
  • I suspect he himself do not even know what the hell he just asked. Please add to intelligence rather than subtracting my already dying brain cells.
• I’m sorry, but we are talking about art here, not porn!
  • Yes, we all experienced that one person who asked “what if the color of the car is ugly?”, when we are all trying hard to brainstorm a location for a vocation
• WTF did he just asked?
  • I know there’s dying urge to know how your boss feels about you after last night’s rendezvous, but trust me, though I do not have much experience, a meeting where there are 30 attendees is probably not the best of place.
• Emm….can you stop asking now? Yes, I mean N.O.W.
  • This isn’t exactly a type of question, but really, it’s a meeting, and not your one on one TA session.
• ETCs
  • Every so often, there would be a question that is so out right WRONG, I don’t even have a category for them.

 

So exactly are the benefits of asking a good question? (Other than that we all already know 1. it increases our lifespan and 2. we become more attractive in the eyes of an opposite sex or whatever that fancies you)

I know so many fellow classmates that pose intriguing questions at professors and got average grades so much better than those that don’t. I for one made a huge difference in grade in the 1^st and 2^nd halves of the quarter before and after I started asking questions. I also know a coworker that climbed the corporate ladder faster than anyone else because he knows what to ask at the right time. Again, I know a cool young undergrad dude who asked Steve Ballmer a ‘good’ question in a Microsoft party that not only lead to a job offer but also their continuous email conversation. Okay, I admit I don’t exactly know know the person, but you can read more about him here.

 

Even though asking a good question can have such a profound impact in whatever that we are doing, why do we suck so much at it? My simple answer is: we were never taught so. I honestly do not remember when was the last time I was taught on how to ‘ask’ a question, rather all I was taught was how to answer them and if I can’t, I get an F. Now, we should seriously start teaching ourselves how to ask good questions, and if you still can’t, please just shut up and listen – it would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers!
-aL

ps. I usually just shut up =)