Dumb questions can be very effective. And asking pointed dumb question is an art that I try to perfect.
I am not alone. “An important tenet of action learning is to create a structure and environment in which people are encouraged to ask what they might think of as “dumb” questions. Often it is the “dumb” question that is really the great “fresh” question that ultimately solves the problem and perhaps saves the company” writes Michael Marquardt in the book ‘Optimizing the Power of Action Learning‘.
Of course, it is harder to ask dumb questions on a topic that you know very well so unfortunately I realize that I get much less effective the more I know about something. That’s why it is always useful in a facilitated session to have someone there that does not know too much about the subject at hand and can ask the effective dumb question.
Are you also working on this essential skill?
