Raise Your Hand & Ask

Reflecting back on my education, I’m convinced everything you need to know is taught in kindergarten. I realized this after reading an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.” “Wisdom,” as Fulghum put it, “was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

Believe it or not, we were all taught life’s biggest lessons at an early age. We left kindergarten knowing it was right to share, apologize and treat other people the way you’d like to be treated.

One lesson that has continued to guide me well past kindergarten is the notion that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. While growing up, I was constantly told by my teachers to ask questions, no matter how elementary the question might seem because questions are essential to learning.

This lesson has continued to reiterate itself, as I begin my career. Just as I was taught in kindergarten, I’ve found the basis of learning starts with a good question. However, in my internship, I’ve found the best lessons come with asking the right questions.

Jodi Glickman Brown, a communication consultant at the Harvard Business School, offers some advice on asking the right questions. Through the Harvard Business Review’s blog, The Conversation, Brown offers three steps to asking for help. Brown suggests by following these steps, you will show your colleagues what you already know, even if you are calling to question what you don’t. Here’s how you do it:

1. Start your question with what you know.
Before resorting to the simple question, “how should I do this?,” present the information you’ve already obtained. This starts by doing research and understanding the task at hand. Brown says, “Give the other person an idea of what you’ve completed to date or what you know already and then proceed to explain what’s outstanding, where or how you’re struggling, or what you need help with.”

2. State the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, thoughts or clarification.
In your dialogue, propose the course of action you think should be taken. By formulating your own opinion, you may be able to develop the right choices on your own in the future. From there, the individual helping you can provide proper feedback or offer suggestions for an alternative approach.


3. If you don’t know the direction to take, ask for tangible feedback.
If the answer still remains unclear, ask where you can find it on your own. Ask for tools that may show you the answer, such as past examples or templates. Another option, says Brown, “Is to ask for a referral to someone who has worked on a similar initiative or project in the past.” This referral can offer insight, advice and tips based on their past experiences.

Just as Brown has demonstrated, the key to learning is in the questions we ask and how we ask them. By asking questions the smart way, you’re guaranteed to not only impress your coworkers, but learn something valuable in return.

Share with me your questions about communication and we can uncover the answers together. If you’re still hesitant, please remember, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”