As a student advisor, whenever I have a video call with a student, I make sure to ask “Do you have any questions for me?” before ending the call. Most of my students say no and then we end the call, but sometimes my question is met with a very apologetic look and the words: “I do have a question, but I’m afraid it’s stupid.”
Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as a dumb question, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be asked.
Here are 3 very good reasons to ask what could be considered dumb questions:
1. It gives a good indication of where your knowledge falls short.
Oftentimes we don’t know what we don’t know, because we don’t know. Asking dumb questions to someone like a lecturer or a student advisor might give a good indication as to which part of the work you don’t yet understand fully.
Asking might give them insight into what exactly you are struggling with, which will in turn help them to better help you.
2. You only have to ask a dumb question once.
Most dumb questions stem from having an incomplete knowledge about something.
If your goal is to further your knowledge and add to your base of understanding through the asking of questions, then you will most likely retain the answer even if the question you asked was not the most insightful question.
If you cultivate a curious mind, ponder questions, and seek out their answers, your base of knowledge is sure to grow exponentially over time.
3. The more dumb questions you ask, the better your questions will become.
In high school I had a coach who was excellent at his job. He was efficient, knowledgeable, and able to teach anyone who was willing to learn. He had a very strange rule for each practice session: Each person should ask him at least two questions before he would dismiss them. He would out rightly admit that the questions didn’t have to be related to the practice nor did they have to be smart questions.
His only goal with this rule was to cultivate curiosity over time.
Eventually, as we asked our questions, something strange happened: The more questions we asked, the less dumb they became. Over time our knowledge had grown enough that we were no longer asking silly questions.
So, next time a potentially dumb question pops into your mind, don’t be afraid to ask it. For, if you walk away having learned something, the question, even if it’s not the most profound, has served its purpose.
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