Sometimes It’s Better to Ask a Question

Screencap of Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s interview of Tim Minchin The idea that asking good questions is the best way to contribute to learning and intellectual discussions is probably as old as civilization. I’ve written about the value of questions often on this blog, notably in a post summarizing the six qualities of a good question, the six benefits of asking questions, and the six types of question that can achieve these benefits. But recently it occurred to me that there’s a seventh quality, benefit, and type: Quality: It (the question) challenges conventional or unexamined thinking in an unthreatening and non-confrontational way. Benefit: It (potentially) changes minds, worldviews and even what people will do in the future, in profound ways we can’t possibly predict or even imagine. Type: Examples: Can you help me understand why…?, or What has led to you to conclude that…?, or What if we instead…?, or even Can I tell you a story that influenced my thinking on…? It’s really important…