How Asking Good Questions Can Make You Seem Like A Genius

right questions


Picture yourself in a classroom or at a meeting at work, and you want to impress your teacher or boss by showing them you are knowledgeable about a given topic or subject matter.

Which do you think would make you you seem smarter in the eyes of experts: 1) Rattling off as many facts as you know about the subject, or 2) Asking one insightful question that shows you have a grasp of the material and understand where key conflicts emerge.

Many of us are tempted to do the first. We falsely believe that if we show people how much we learn by reciting all the facts, then it’s clear we have a deep understanding of the subject. Naturally, the more facts you know about a subject the smarter you’re likely to be in it.

But asking one good question about a topic can often communicate a lot more information in a much simpler way. Asking good questions shows that not only do you understand the facts about a subject, but you also recognize the types of questions these facts will lead to.

We are often afraid to ask questions for fear of looking stupid, so it’s nice to know that one recent study shows that when individuals ask questions, they are actually seen as more competent and knowledgeable than those who don’t ask questions.