Ask the right question

I used to be uncomfortable in conversations that required me to ask a lot of questions, so I would avoid it altogether. Listening, after all, is so much easier. But this approach never made sense, because I always knew that many things were left unclear, with no other way to find them out. How on earth was I supposed to learn how to build an application quickly without spending days just researching and piecing knowledge together? That’s when I knew I had to change my approach.

Every piece of knowledge I've ever gathered comes down to my own curiosity about the world—how things work, and why. This curiosity is naturally compressed into a chain of questions. We all do this every day when we turn to Google or Perplexity, tools that are incredibly good for rapidly grasping information. Right now, one part of the world is frantically optimizing these engines for better, quicker responses, while another major part is focused on asking the questions. And it makes me wonder: how many of us are actually good at asking?

I realized I wasn't one of them. In fact, I was awful at it. My questions were often unclear, too shallow, or far too long. This was a direct reflection of my own thinking process, my focus, and my weaknesses. As a result, the answers I received were often just as shallow and rambling, in most cases leaving me even more confused than before. This slowed down my work, forcing me to prompt again and again for only small improvements. In the era of token-based pricing, this habit was becoming expensive, too.

AI tools are good, and they know much more than ever, but they haven't fundamentally changed the way we learn from others. I’ve pointed out before the advantages of talking to people; knowing the right question to ask a person can lead you to the end of the tunnel faster than anything else. People say AI will replace analysts, engineers, and writers, but I don't believe it. I believe it only makes those same experts more knowledgeable and capable of making a bigger impact when they answer our questions.

I am still learning how to do this right, but I'm experimenting with a new approach to see if I can improve. First, I start by breaking down my thoughts to understand the exact solution I'm looking for. This helps me narrow down the options to only what I truly need. Then, I give myself a small pause—maybe just a second or two—to refine the question. My goal is to start with clear context before moving to a direct, simple query. I believe that when my thoughts are clear, the most optimal question will be concise, context-rich, and incredibly easy to understand.

This realization has taught me that the quality of our answers is almost always determined by the quality of our questions. Moving from a passive listener to an active questioner isn't just about speaking up more; it's about learning to think with clarity and purpose. In a world overflowing with information and advanced AI, the ability to pause, reflect, and formulate a precise question is not a weakness—it is the most essential skill for navigating complexity and the significant sign of a mind that is eager to learn.