How to Ask a Question Smartly

Ask questions in an interview. When you question the employer, you’ll want to show that you’ve thought through how you work and your effectiveness in the position. Show them that you align well with the company’s values and policies. You can ask questions like:

• “Can you describe a typical work week for this position?”
• “How will I have the opportunity to grow and advance?”
• “How does the company manage employees?”

Ask the candidate questions. When questioning candidates, you should look for signs of what kind of employee they would be. Avoid asking too common and rigid questions because you will get ready-made answers instead of the truth, which is easier to reveal if you ask more unique questions. For example:

• “In this position, what jobs would you not enjoy doing?” This question will reveal the candidate’s weaknesses.
• “How do you think this job will change in 5 years? 10 years from now?” This question will show how they respond to change and their foresight.
• “When are you allowed to break the rules?” This question will assess their work ethic, as well as their ability to adapt to complex situations or remain rigid.

Ask questions online. People will be more likely to answer your online questions if they are reasonable questions. No one wants to answer things that you can figure out on your own in two minutes using Google (or wikiHow). To have a good chance of having someone else answer the question, read the sections below. Keep trying hard:

• Find out first. Do your own research to answer your own questions.
• Keep calm. Anger or embarrassment and expressing them in questions will make people ignore or laugh at you.
• Use correct grammar and spelling. It will show that you are serious and expect a serious answer. If you’re unsure of spelling or grammar, try typing in Word or Google Docs for a quick check.

Ask questions during the meeting. The questions asked in a meeting can vary widely, depending on your job and role. If the preceding and following items don’t work for you, you can try these basic ideas:

• Ask questions that broaden the topic and solve the problem. Question whether this meeting is on track. Find out how the topic of this meeting relates to the problem the company is facing.
• Straight to the problem. Don’t talk rambling. That will make people lose interest and look down on you.
• Look into the future. Ask questions about how the company must adapt in the future and what challenges must be overcome to succeed.

Speak to the point. The most important thing about asking a smart question is: having just enough information to ask, knowing what you’re about to say, and not asking dumb questions. In general, no question is silly, but if you can find the answer yourself through Google and still ask, then it is silly. Learn how to perfect a question before asking someone else to answer it.

Consider purpose. You need to decide what your question is for. What will the answer help you achieve? This will come in handy when you need to decide what information you need from the respondent. The better you understand what you need, the smarter your questions will be, and you’ll sound like that too.

Compare what you know and don’t know. Before asking, think about what you already know and don’t know about the topic. Do you have a lot of information, or just some small details? Are you completely hazy on the subject? The more information you know about that topic, the smarter your questions will be.

Look for confusing points. Consider what you already know and what you still don’t understand. Are you sure about what you already know? Often what we think we know creates difficult questions to answer, because the original information is inherently inaccurate. If possible, it is best to learn the basics first.

Look at the problem from many sides. Your question can be answered by looking at the problem from many different perspectives. A new approach can help you see spots that you didn’t see before, so your problem will be solved.

Find out first . If you still have many questions and opportunities, do your own research before turning to someone else. Getting as much information as possible before asking is the most important part of asking questions intelligently. Your understanding of the matter will be demonstrated when you present.

Decide what information you need. Once you’ve done your research, you’ll know better what you’re looking for. Consider that, and if possible, write it down so you don’t forget anything when you’re ready to ask a question.

Find the right person to ask. Another important factor when it comes to asking smart questions is making sure you’re asking the right people. Knowing the problem will help you prepare better, but in certain situations you may still want to make sure you’re asking the right people (if you’re going to a particular department/office, or rely on someone you don’t know).

Use correct grammar. When asking questions, use correct grammar and pronunciation. Speak clearly and concisely. Not only will this make you appear smarter, but it will also ensure that the respondent understands you and the things you want to know.

Use correct words. Always try to be specific and use the right words. Don’t use exaggerated language and make sure to ask exactly what you need to know. For example, don’t ask an entrepreneur if they’re hiring if you’re only interested in a certain position. Likewise, don’t ask if they have any open positions, instead, ask if a position you’re interested in is in need.

Ask questions politely and openly. You’re looking for information to fill in what you don’t know, and they’re the ones with the answers, so be polite. In case you are not satisfied with the answer, or it does not match what you are asking, gently ask how they know this information. Asking those more general questions creates a shortcut to the information you need, so you’ll find the tools to answer your own questions from now on.

Ask simply. Don’t ramble or explain more than others need to know to answer your question. Additional information can be distracting and cause you to get a completely different answer from what you expect – if the person you’re asking misunderstands your intent.

• For example, don’t tell your doctor about your entire day while talking about a health issue. They don’t need to know that you caught the bus late this morning. What they need to know is that you ate a different breakfast every day and now you have a stomach ache.

Use open or closed questions. Depending on the situation, you may want to use open-ended or closed-ended questions. ^[1] When you want a specific answer or simply “yes” or “no”, ask closed questions. When you need as much information as possible, use open-ended questions.

• Open-ended questions often begin with phrases like “why” and “let’s talk more about…”
• Closed questions usually begin with phrases like “when” and “who”.

Show confidence. When asking, be confident. Don’t be shy or appear contrite. That way, you’ll appear smarter and make it easier for others to criticize you for what you want to ask. In certain situations, this is also important. If you’re asking a teacher, don’t worry about your shyness, but if you’re asking a question in an interview, here’s something to keep in mind.

Don’t use buffer words. Cushions are words like “um”, “ah”, “uh”, “as if”… Those are the words you use to fill a sentence while you’re trying to think of the right words to use. . Most people use them unconsciously. You should use as few filler words as possible if you want to appear smarter and make your question clearer.

Explain the reason for the question. If this helps and the situation allows, you should explain why you are asking this question or what your ultimate goal is. That will clear up any misunderstandings and help the respondent bring in information you didn’t know you needed.

Never ask questions aggressively. If you do, you’ll show that you’re asking questions just to prove to people that you’re right and they’re wrong, which means you’re very argumentative and don’t have an open mind. Ask questions because you really care. Otherwise, you will only get defensive and unhelpful answers.

• Don’t ask: “Is it true that more people will be well fed if we eat cereals directly instead of feeding them to junk animals and then eating them?”
• Ask: “Many dieters think that food availability would increase if society didn’t invest them in the meat industry. It sounds reasonable, but do you know any arguments for that? refute that?”

Just ask! The most important part of asking questions is asking. No question is silly, so don’t be afraid to ask questions when necessary. Asking questions is what really smart people do. Furthermore, the longer you delay asking, the more difficult your problem will be.

Avoid making respondents feel uncomfortable. If the person answering the question is starting to feel uncomfortable and the knowledge is beyond their understanding, don’t delve into the topic any further. Unless you’re asking a question in an area of expertise as a journalist, senator, or lawyer, it’s rarely beneficial to force an answer. As a member of the community or a student in a classroom, you are looking for information, not making fun of someone. Stop asking and thank them. Usually you can find them and discuss them privately later. Even when you’re trying to distill information for the community, you have to know that a sophisticated approach yields real answers.

Listen instead of interrupting the answer. If you want to get the most out of the answers, you need to listen to what the other person has to say. ^[2] Only interrupt them if they have misunderstood something, and do so politely.

Wait for them to finish answering. Even though they may seem to have overlooked an important piece of information, don’t rush to ask any more questions until they’ve finished talking. Maybe they haven’t finished it yet, or they are waiting to explain to you something important before mentioning the necessary information.

Think about what they say. Think carefully about all the information they have just given you. Think about how well that answer solves your problem, and whether all of your questions have been answered. You also shouldn’t judge information lightly. If something doesn’t match, you may have received the wrong information. Just because you asked someone a question, doesn’t mean they’ll get the right answer.

Ask them to clarify if needed. If their answer makes no sense or there’s something you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask them to elaborate. This will prevent further problems from arising because you are not getting all the information you need.

Continue asking questions. Ask more questions if they come up until you get the most complete answer. You will probably find that these questions don’t come to your mind in the first place. Asking more questions will also show them that you are processing information and paying close attention to what they have to say.