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When we were in school, our teachers encouraged us to ask questions if we didn't understand the lesson. Good teachers tell their students not to worry about looking silly and just ask questions when they have doubts. A favorite line used by teachers is, "There's no such thing as a silly question!"
And it's true even for our lives as adults. When you feel stuck, asking the right questions will help you find the answers you need to make progress in your personal and professional life.
When we are feeling lost or confused, or overwhelmed with too much information, we should ask questions to clarify our options and make better decisions.
The right questions are questions that lead you to the right answer. They could be about your personal life—moving to a different city, reconnecting with an old friend or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Or they could be about your professional life—moving up in your career, changing jobs or opting to study further. You can ask meaningful questions to your seniors and mentors at work, trusted friends and family and even to yourself.
If you take everything as it comes without questioning how it impacts you and those around you, you won’t be able to grow as an individual. The art of asking the right questions helps you overcome difficulties, solve problems and make good decisions. Let’s explore the importance of asking the right questions to solve problems for personal and professional success.
The Importance Of Asking Questions
Asking questions has many advantages; all you need to do is train yourself to think critically about things. Let’s look at some benefits of asking the right questions:
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Solve Problems
In a professional setting, you can solve complex problems by asking the right questions. A series of questions can help you find the root cause of a problem. For instance, if an employee is facing a conflict at work, the HR manager will ask her several questions to understand the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the situation. This helps one look at the problem objectively with all the facts laid out.
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Learn From Your Mistakes
Asking the right questions will help you reflect on your actions and words, particularly when you make mistakes. Think about a time when you sent the wrong email or forgot to prepare for a meeting. Asking the right questions will bring you closer to the reason or cause behind the problem and help you prevent making the same mistake again
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Widen Your Perspective
Besides solving problems, asking the right questions will help you broaden your perspective. When you have the curiosity to find out how other people think and operate, it will broaden your mind. You’ll learn to accept multiple points of view, understand where people are coming from and let go of your biases. You will grow as a person and will find it easy to approach situations impartially, accept your mistakes and work collaboratively. Asking questions leads to unexpected discoveries. It pushes you to think beyond your core values and beliefs and consider new perspectives.
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Know Yourself
Asking yourself the right questions will help you understand who you are and what your likes and dislikes are. You’ll identify what you enjoy doing and be able to incorporate more of it into your life. If you want to be able to maintain a work-life balance, ask yourself questions like "what is important to me?" and "what do I like to do in my free time?". These questions will help you shed light on your motivations and intentions. (Sertraline) They will also help you realize where there’s room for improvement and what you need to do to realize your full potential.
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Make Informed Decisions
Asking the right questions helps you make informed decisions. You’ll be able to simplify complex thoughts and find solutions that are easy to implement. The right questions lead you to crucial information about problems and their solutions. You can become more confident in your decision-making abilities by equipping yourself with the right knowledge.
It’s important to keep learning more about yourself and the world around you. Just as the world changes every day, we develop new emotions and feelings with each new experience. Always ask questions so that you keep learning.
Harappa Education’s Thinking Critically course will help you think critically and ask questions that lead to new information. The tools and frameworks in the course will help you use mental models to solve complex problems and operate outside your area of expertise. Sign up for the course today to learn to ask better questions!
Explore topics & skills such as the Cognitive Skills, Black and White Thinking, Cognitive Bias & Theories of Intelligence from our Harappa Diaries blog section.
