Can I ask a Dumb Question?
One question I hear often, and ask myself is, if I ask this question do I sound like an idiot? Should I have learned this already? As we progress in our careers and sponge in information about industry, jobs, skill sets, internal politics and the business world there are lots of questions and its the seemingly easy ones that are the hardest to ask. Take a look at a post from the brazencareerist about what questions to ask to ensure you’re positioning yourself in the best light in meetings.
One of the safest ways to ask a “dumb” question is to ask it behind your screen with some online research. Now I’ll say rarely will you find the answer in a Google search, but sometimes the search results lead me down a different path or to another way to characterize the issue. A new perspective helps me find the information with an internal search of case studies, whitepapers, etc. to find the answer. Do the same with del.icio.us; digg; LinkedIn’s Q&A, etc.
If the question can’t be found online or through your notes, ask a mentor in your field or someone who’s shared a similar career position or field. If the information you’re looking for isn’t proprietary, someone you don’t report to might provide that added comfort to ask your question. Constantly pick the brains of people you respect in your field, the more you can learn actively the more you’ll quickly pick up nuances of your industry and business.
If you’ve done your research, chances are you can ask the question to your project leader or boss, and sometimes that’s the best answer. The question might spur a conversation about some background information you were supposed to have or a piece of training that might be helpful. And remember, sometimes the dumbest questions are the ones you never ask. Here’s a great article from Forbes about the wisdom of dumb questions. The point of the article is that sometimes dumb questions lead to smart decisions.
Check out our other posts on mentoring and decision making.
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Like I wrote...
August 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I don’t think there really is ever such thing as a dumb question - there may be a reason something is not know to you. Often our jobs are so focused on some particular chores that we tend to get all wrapped up in it not even understanding every little detail of what we are doing. Often the bigger picture takes presedence and we don’t need to know every little detail. If you don’t recall the exact method or definition of something - just ask - don’t be afraid to speak up as you will be respected for that more than if you keep silent.