The Power of Asking Questions

If I would have to pick on aspect of the Information Lab's company culture, it would be: "Asking questions encouraged"

It is not just a phrase, but something that literally everyone encourages you to do: From recruiters, to coaches, colleagues, and even the CEO! I always loved this philosophy, but in preparation for this blog post, I went on a journey to interview as many colleagues as possible about their take on the power of asking questions.

I received so much outpouring support and amazing answers from our colleagues in New York, London, Netherlands, and Germany! Here are the answers:

   

Why should someone ask questions?

"What is the most important reason for YOU to ask questions?"

  • Receive answers, but more importantly, receive answers for others who are not as confident to ask questions ("Ask no questions, receive no answers").
  • Gain new perspectives, insights, and a deeper understanding into people, problems, and businesses.
  • Get to know the other person, e.g. hear their thoughts and opinions. In a professional setting this will allow you to create solutions tailored to them.
  • Improve critical thinking by being exposed to opinions outside your bubble (this also challenges your confirmation bias, where we tend to seek out opinions that align with our own).
  • Avoid miscommunication and clear up misconceptions, especially when working on the support desk or with clients.
  • Get answers/solutions quickly and avoid 'wasting time' (especially useful for tight deadlines).
  • Foster a sense of community: If everyone would only work on their own, others wouldn't be given the chance to work in a team with you.
  • Be better prepared when someone asks YOU the same or a similar question. This also gives the other person the chance to teach you, which is the best way to truly learn something.
  • Store information in your long-term memory rather than simply in your short-term memory by engaging with the content.
  • Avoid stress by receiving a solution quicker and with less hassle than if you would have tried to solve it by yourself for hours.
  • Create a rapport and trust relationship with the other person (especially clients). By asking questions you can show competence, skill, and make sure that the other side understands your thinking and where you are coming from.
  • Curiosity! Asking questions will always lead to you learning something new.
  • Learn from other people's experiences even if they don't have "the" solution either. By working through a problem together you may find the answer yourself.
  • People will remember you. For example others may think "They were the one who spoke up in front of 50+ people" or "They asked this smart question that led us to provide greater business insights"
  • If you ask early, the problem is still pretty small. If you push it off, the problem may become bigger.
  • People who ask questions accelerate their learning the fastest!

   

And here is a particular golden nugget from our CEO, Tom Brown:


"The opportunity to ask questions on public forums (e.g. Tableau forums or company-wide communication channels such as Convo) is that you not only receive an answer quickly, but it is also validated by a larger crowd. Plus, you get to meet new people, have access to expertise that you otherwise would not, and help others to learn from your questions/answers as well."

 

Situations when asking questions led to a favorable outcome

"Do you remember a situation/case when asking questions led to a favorable outcome (e.g. new responsibilities, new job - can be work and non-work related)?"

Collin (Recruitment Team NY): "This makes me think of when I was considering applying to the Data School. After my phone interview I asked to put me in touch with someone from the Data School and I was paired with someone, who answered all my questions and more. Getting to air all my questions and concerns with her confirmed to me that the DS was a great career choice."

Thierry Driver (Data Success Lead, UK): "A recent work example is me asking Luke Stoughton if there were any job opportunities at TIL at the moment and he kindly put me in touch with Tom, and here I am!"

Simona Loffredo (Senior Consultant, Netherlands): "I cannot think of a situation when it lead to an unfavorable outcome. Asking questions (and the right questions) has landed me different roles, definitely new responsibilities, solved situations before they became problems... So definitely it should be a mantra!"

Jonathan (Tableau & Alteryx Support Desk Manager, UK): "The classic IT support example is a user complaining their computer won't turn on. Before going into in-depth troubleshooting, you have first to make absolutely sure they aren't hitting the power button on their external monitor instead of their PC".

   

So? How to ask questions?

1. Practice, practice, practice!

For a lot of us it is engrained that we feel dumb if we have to as questions. But in fact, the reverse is true. If you ask questions that lead to favorable outcomes, you can showcase how competent and smart you are. The more questions you ask and the more positive experiences you have with asking questions, the more your brain will remember these moments and it will get easier to ask questions in the future.

Practice asking questions in a safe setting. Here at the Data School our 4-month intensive training is a perfect scenario to practice asking questions. You are a tight-knit cohort of people with similar skill levels and the coaches are there to provide this safe setting for you. No one will scold you for asking the same question multiple times if you do not understand it. Once you practice in a safe setting, try to ask questions in a more challenging environment, e.g. on a client call or meeting.

You can also start practicing asking questions outside of work. Ask your family members or friends all kinds of questions, from small to large. For example, you could ask: "What was the most memorable moment over the last few years?"

 

2. Imagine best-case scenarios

Asking questions can have a wide array of positive scenarios. You read some of them above. Take some time to picture how much more knowledge, how many improved relationships, or how much deeper understanding you will get from asking questions. Imagine yourself being perceived as competent when asking good questions. Imagine how it feels and how you can help others in the room to get the same question answered.

 

3. Prepare for worst-case scenarios

Yes, there are a few rude people out there who would say things like "you should know this already" or "didn't I just explain that" (Yes, this happened to me in academia, but never at The Information Lab!). But remember, answers like this are a reflection of them, not you! We are all teachers in certain scenarios and if a person asks you a question, it is on us to explain it in a way that they can understand. If they ask again, then it is on us to re-phrase or come up with a way that the other person understands. Even if we fail to explain it in a way that the other person understands, it is on us to ask questions or find someone else who may be able to explain it better.

If you ever encounter such a situation where someone reacts rudely to your question, make sure to monitor and change your self-talk. Try to avoid self-defeating self-talk such as "That person is right, why don't I know this?" and think instead "I forgot this part, but I am proud that I asked even if this person is not capable of helping me. I will find someone else who can help me".

   

My lessons in preparation for this blog post

When starting to write this blog post, I had a faint idea that I wanted to "interview" our coaches at the Data School New York about their insights and opinions on asking questions. I started to ask around and talked to individuals, but it took a long time. With the insight from Erica Hughes (our amazing Senior Consultant here in NY) I soon realized that there is a better way: To ask 'publicly' on our company-wide communication platform Convo and to crowdsource opinions and thoughts. It sometimes feels intimidating to ask a question to 400+ people, but the amount of insights I gained from this was incredible! This extensive blog post with all of the different opinions would not have been possible without me asking for it. Every time I have a question I will now think of this experience and the outpouring support I received.

Author:
Lisa Hitch
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