I was asking questions wrong for years until a teacher in Denver pointed it out

I always just asked 'why' when I didn't get something, which often got me a short answer. My kid's 4th grade teacher in Denver told me to try asking 'how does that work' instead. It makes people explain the steps, not just the reason. What's your go-to question when you need a full explanation?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.charlie1mo ago

Feel you on this one. I've had plenty of moments where I thought I was asking the right thing but just got the runaround instead. My go-to now is "what am I missing here" because it kinda puts the other person in your shoes. Makes people slow down and think about what's actually important instead of giving you some half baked answer.

the_rose2mo ago

Actually, asking "why" first can cut straight to the point and save everyone time.

abby_king222mo ago

Used to think asking "how" was the better starting point. Then got stuck for a week on a project because we were solving the wrong problem. Asking "why" first would have saved a lot of headache.