
Main Reading Room of the U.S. Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C. View from above showing researcher desks. Photo courtesy U.S. Library of Congress.
Assessing the value of someone else's question can be risky business. Risk is elevated whenever you find yourself thinking, "What a stupid question." That's a danger sign because very few of the people you work with are actually stupid. If you find yourself thinking along those lines, you could be in the trouble zone. Just to be clear, to be stupid is to be rash, reckless, irresponsible, foolish, unintelligent, and so on. Truly stupid people don't last long in the organizations where readers of this blog work.
If stupid questions are rare, one might wonder, what are those questions people ask that so many others regard as stupid? Having in mind the possibility that a seemingly stupid question might be something else can be helpful when framing responses to what so many people regard as stupid questions.
Here's a little catalog of some of the kinds of questions that many classify reflexively as "stupid."
- Information-seeking questions
- Information-seeking questions are, um, requests for information. The information sought can be a definition of a term, or the name of a concept, or the nature of the relationships among concepts. It can be a request for an explanation of the justification of a step in a proof or argument. It can be simple data, like the age of the oldest redwood tree.
- To regard these questions as stupid is to dismiss the possibility that there is a flaw in our information distribution process. Somehow the asker didn't receive — or forgot — the information the asker is now seeking. Personal negligence or stupidity isn't the only possible explanation. These questions might actually be evidence of defects in the information distribution functions of the organization.
- Lazy questions
- These are questions that the askers could have answered with just a little bit of effort on their own. For example, suppose our public library has eliminated daily fines for overdue items, and instead suspends privileges for borrowers with outstanding overdue items. A lazy question might be, "What's the daily fine for overdue books?" It's a lazy question because that information might be readily available on the library Web site.
- There is Having in mind the possibility that
a seemingly stupid question might
be something else can be helpful
when framing responses to what so
many regard as stupid questionsan exception. The effort required to find an answer might be very small, but if the asker doesn't know the technique for finding the answer, or if the asker lacks the resources necessary to apply that technique, then the scale of effort required is irrelevant. What might seem to be a lazy question might not be. For example, a question whose answer Google can provide isn't a lazy question when the asker doesn't have access to the Internet. - So for someone who can use Google, asking the age of the oldest redwood tree is a lazy question. (At this point, I suspect that some of you feel an urge to find the answer right now. Resist.)
- Naïve questions
- Naïve questions appear in at least two flavors. Explicitly naïve questions ask for fundamental definitions, relationships, or whats or whys. Implicitly naïve questions are those in which the asker is unaware that the answer to one or more explicitly naïve questions would be necessary for understanding the reply to the implicitly naïve question.
- Asking why our library suspends borrowing privileges of borrowers who have outstanding overdue items is then an explicitly naïve question. Asking why our library web site doesn't have a daily fine posted for overdue items is an implicitly naïve question.
- Misinformed, disinformed or disinforming questions
- These are questions one or more of the premises of which are false. In misinformed or disinformed questions, somehow the asker has acquired an incorrect perspective regarding the circumstances that he or she is inquiring about.
- Continuing with the example of our public library overdue policy, suppose our library has eliminated all overdue fines. Then a misinformed question might be, "Why are library fines so much higher for books than they are for videos?"
- One subset of misinformed questions might be called disinformed questions. These are questions for which the innocently duped asker is relying on falsehoods that were knowingly created and distributed by people or agents intent on spreading disinformation.
- A separate subset of not-stupid questions might be called disinforming questions. Although they take the form of questions, the "asker" isn't actually seeking an answer. The asker instead is using the form of a question to spread disinformation that the asker knows well is disinformation.
When someone asks questions like those identified in this little catalog, responding by answering in a straightforward manner is safer than castigating the askers for asking them. But even straightforward answers carry risks. Some possibilities:
- You misunderstood the question because it matched something else you've been pondering of late
- You don't know enough about the situation that precipitated the question
- What you think you know about that situation is incorrect
- The question was ill posed and your interpretation of it is unfortunately inappropriate
Clearly there are more possible reasons why answering in a straightforward manner can be risky. But there is a way to manage these risks. Taking your time usually helps. When someone poses a question that your inner voice tells you is "stupid," instead of responding, first breathe. Then say something like, "Good question, tell me more," or "Hmm, say more" or even "<straightforward answer>, but perhaps I misunderstood the question." Top
Next Issue
Are you fed up with tense, explosive meetings? Are you or a colleague the target of a bully? Destructive conflict can ruin organizations. But if we believe that all conflict is destructive, and that we can somehow eliminate conflict, or that conflict is an enemy of productivity, then we're in conflict with Conflict itself. Read 101 Tips for Managing Conflict to learn how to make peace with conflict and make it an organizational asset. Order Now!
Your comments are welcome
Would you like to see your comments posted here? rbrenEMudcCzvnDHFfOEmner@ChacTcmtXTCJBjZfSFjIoCanyon.comSend me your comments by email, or by Web form.About Point Lookout
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.
Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.
Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.
Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.
Related articles
More articles on Effective Communication at Work:
If Only I Had Known: II
- Ever had one of those forehead-slapping moments when someone explained something, or you suddenly realized
something? They usually involve some idea or insight that would have saved you much pain, trouble, and
heartache, if only you had known.
Inbox Bloat Recovery
- If you have more than ten days of messages in your inbox, you probably consider it to be bloated. If
it's been bloated for a while, you probably want to clear it, but you've tried many times, and you can't.
Here are some effective suggestions.
Long-Loop Conversations: Clearing the Fog
- In virtual or global teams, conversations can be long, painful affairs. Settling issues and clearing
misunderstandings can take weeks instead of days, or days instead of hours. Here are some techniques
that ease the way to mutual agreement and understanding.
Chronic Peer Interrupters: III
- People who habitually interrupt others in meetings must be fairly common, because I'm often asked about
what to do about them. And you can find lots of tips on the Web, too. Some tips work well, some generally
don't. Here are my thoughts about four more.
Formulaic Utterances: II
- Formulaic utterances are things we say that follow a pre-formed template. They're familiar to all, and
have standard uses. "For example" is an example. In the workplace, some of them can be useful
for establishing or maintaining dominance and credibility.
See also Effective Communication at Work and Workplace Politics for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 6: Fake Requests for Help
- When a colleague asks for assistance, we can feel validated, even flattered. But not all requests for help are what they seem. The more devious amongst us can be endlessly creative in employing requests for help to achieve devious ends. Available here and by RSS on July 6.
And on July 13: What Do We Actually Know?
- Precision in both writing and speech can be critical in determining the success of collaborations in the modern workplace. Precision is especially important when we distinguish between what we surmise or assume and what we actually know. Available here and by RSS on July 13.
Coaching services
I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenEMudcCzvnDHFfOEmner@ChacTcmtXTCJBjZfSFjIoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.
Get the ebook!
Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:
- Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
- Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
- Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
- Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
- Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
- Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )
Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info
Public seminars
- The Power Affect: How We Express Our Personal Power
Many
people who possess real organizational power have a characteristic demeanor. It's the way they project their presence. I call this the power affect. Some people — call them power pretenders — adopt the power affect well before they attain significant organizational power. Unfortunately for their colleagues, and for their organizations, power pretenders can attain organizational power out of proportion to their merit or abilities. Understanding the power affect is therefore important for anyone who aims to attain power, or anyone who works with power pretenders. Read more about this program.
- A recording of a program presented June 29, 2017, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
- A recording of a program presented June 29, 2017, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
- A recording of a program presented June 29, 2017, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
- Bullet Points: Mastery or Madness?
Decis
ion makers in modern organizations commonly demand briefings in the form of bullet points or a series of series of bullet points. But this form of presentation has limited value for complex decisions. We need something more. We actually need to think. Briefers who combine the bullet-point format with a variety of persuasion techniques can mislead decision makers, guiding them into making poor decisions. Read more about this program.
- A recording of a program presented June 24, 2020, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
- A recording of a program presented June 24, 2020, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
- A recording of a program presented June 24, 2020, Monthly
Webinar, sponsored by Technobility
Webinar Series. PMI members can earn 1.0 Category 'A' PDU by viewing this program. View this program now.
Follow Rick





Recommend this issue to a friend
Send an email message to a friend
rbrenEMudcCzvnDHFfOEmner@ChacTcmtXTCJBjZfSFjIoCanyon.comSend a message to Rick
A Tip A Day feed
Point Lookout weekly feed
