Why I Love“Stupid Questions”
Why do we hesitate to raise questions in a group or a classroom? Is this the fear of appearing fooling? How damaging is this tendency? How do we overcome this fear?
I consider myself to be a “Student of Learning.” I only started exhibiting this feature in my late 30s. Until then, my first objective was to blend in with the crowd and make sure no one in authority (whether in a classroom or corporate meeting) called on me to voice an opinion or respond to a question.
The thought of asking questions and appearing foolish was an anathema to my existence.
Why is there so much fear of asking questions?
Impact of Cultural Influence
Most Indian families instill respect for authority in their kids (coated with fear). This is often translated as accepting anything an older person says as a fact.
For a girl, the harshness of this regulation is increased multi-fold.
Growing up, if I disagreed with something my father or mother said and asked for an explanation, it was called “talking back,” which is extremely rude. ( And I think I was still better off — my parents balanced it by indulging my argumentative tendencies often enough.)
If I disagreed or argued passionately with an older individual, that was seen as a sign that I was not “well brought up.”
And, as I said, I was still better off. The reprimands many of my friends received were far more severe.
This upbringing creates a strong impression on young people. It was tough to break out of this mold and ask questions when I was unsure of something or had a different point of view.
Classroom Dynamics
In the book, “The Argumentative Indian,” Nobel prize-winning Indian economist Amartya Sen discusses India’s history and identity with a particular focus on the tradition of public debates.
I have always thought this was a privilege accorded to only men and perhaps just a handful of women who were society’s elite.
Active participation in a debate is the step that comes after a question is raised. And who dares bell the cat by asking “stupid questions”?
This impression resulted from what I saw as a child and in my classrooms.
Teachers in school power through lessons, making it impossible for “stupid questions” to come out. They do this as they are required to complete lessons before an arbitrary date set by the school system.
Chasing the goal of putting a tick in the box becomes more critical for school systems than building a child’s understanding or confidence. There are no concentrated efforts to teach someone to ask questions and debate the argument’s merits.
There is definitely a lot of tokenism, but children are smart. They know it is better to keep quiet than get in the fire line.
Peer Pressure
As teenagers and youngsters in college, children can be ruthless. While some amount of ragging is fun and helps one bond better with friends at this age, the sheer pressure to not appear foolish is a prime reason for many students not asking questions or clearing doubt in classrooms.
How do we break out of this conundrum? Honestly, I don’t know. We must make a conscious effort to make our children kinder and more tolerant.
Perils of “not asking questions & sharing ideas”
I have mastered the art of fitting in — and so have many people in many organizations around us. The fall side of this “mastery” is that we don’t ask questions for fear of appearing stupid.
Ideas don’t get challenged; creative views ad critical thoughts find a silent grave.
This is true of people at all levels of management.
The front-line teams are usually far more clued in on what is happening on the ground level. Not listening to them is an incredible loss to any organization. But when they are scared or embarrassed to ask questions, the organization loses valuable information.
Amy C. Edmondson, the author of “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace,” says,
“Not every idea is good, and yes, there are stupid questions, and yes, dissent can slow things down, but talking through these things is an essential part of the creative process. People must be allowed to voice half-finished thoughts, ask questions from left field, and brainstorm out loud; it creates a culture in which a minor flub or momentary lapse is no big deal, where actual mistakes are owned and corrected, and where the next left-field idea could be the next big thing.”
The Beauty of Stupid Questions
(A) It helps me learn much faster. No matter how much I read or write, I cannot internalize something and make it my own till I have dirtied my hands.
And part of “dirtying my hands” is asking seemingly stupid questions when I get stuck on executing the project. What appears trivial in theory may be bottlenecks in the real world.
Making sure you ask questions and move faster will benefit you and your organization.
(B) It helps expose systemic weaknesses. I have joined new industries multiple times in my professional life. When I hear the line “because we have always done it this way,” it rings a warning bell in my head.
This is a red flag. If this line of inquiry is continued, it often becomes clear that no one has questioned this aspect of the job and, therefore, never found a better way to deal with the issue.
(C ) Gives confidence to others to ask questions. While leading a team, if my manager does not hesitate to ask allegedly simple questions, it will encourage my team and me to raise our hands and ask all kinds of questions.
Asking “stupid/dumb” questions has helped me understand the nuances of my job better. In the long run, this has always helped me perform better at work. If I had shied away from asking some basic questions, it might have led to more severe mistakes later.
A word of caution
In college, there was a “pet name” for some students — DCP (Desperate Class Participation). People who earned this epithet are the ones who have not read the material beforehand or paid attention to the lecture but will nonetheless ask questions to impress the teacher. Such people do a disservice and discourage people with genuine doubts about the basic concepts keep quiet.
Permission to ask “Stupid Questions” should not be an excuse not to do the homework.
Do the homework needed, and ask questions even if they seem “basic.” Every question asked leads to a better framework of knowledge that is getting built. That is how one becomes an expert in any field.
