Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman is the bestselling author of books on business, entrepreneurship, skill acquisition, productivity, creativity, applied psychology, and practical wisdom. About Josh »

How to Ask Useful Questions

Asking useful questions is a skill, and it requires practice.

Inexperienced or naive questions sound like this:

"Hello! [Insert life story.] What should I do?"

Or this:

"I'm thinking about [action]. What do you think?"

Questions like these make a few critical mistakes:

As a result, questions like these go unanswered due to Friction - answering them would take too much effort, so the recipient doesn't bother.

If you want useful answers, learn to ask better questions. In most cases, you'll need to tailor the form of the question to the type of information you're seeking.

Asking for Information

"I'm interested in more information about A, and I found you via B. Are you the best person to ask about this?"

Keys to information-seeking questions:

Asking for Clarification

"Based on our conversation about A, it sounds like B is the case. Is that correct?"

Keys to clarification questions:

Asking for Help

"I'm trying to A, and I'm having trouble. So far, I've tried B with result C, and D with result E. Now I'm stuck. Any guidance?"

Keys for asking for assistance:

Asking for Agreement

"Based on our previous conversation about X, we decided Y is the best solution. The next step is Z. Agreed? If so, I'll get started right away."

Keys for asking for agreement:

Asking for Advice

"I'm working on A. My priorities are B, C, and D. I'm considering E, but I'm not sure it's the best option. If you have a moment, I'd appreciate your thoughts. If not, no worries. Thanks!"

Keys for asking for advice:


Are you asking useful questions? What type of question do you currently have the most trouble asking? How can you practice asking in a useful way?

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