Good questions do two things at once: they show you were listening, and they invite the other person to think rather than simply repeat themselves.
Ask about decisions, not facts
"What do you study?" gets an answer. "What made you choose it over the alternatives?" gets a story. Questions about choices reveal values, trade-offs and context.
Follow the second answer
The first answer to a question is often the rehearsed one. The second, prompted by a gentle "what do you mean by that?", is usually where the interesting thinking lives.
A question is a small act of respect. It says: what you think is worth exploring.
Be comfortable with not knowing
Many people avoid questions because they fear looking uninformed. In practice, the people who ask the clearest basic questions are often the ones who end up understanding the most.
Written by
Fardin Fahad is a London-based entrepreneur, writer and the founder of Studycation, a UK education consultancy that helps international students with education, careers and building a life in the UK.
About Fardin