Asking Questions
This has everything in it on how to ask questions correctly.
In short, it can be summed down to this:
- Do your own research first.
- Include things you have tried and thought of before asking the question.
- Be explicit about what you want to achieve in the end and provide as much information as possible to help.
- Respect other people's time.
XY problem is also something to be aware of. When asking for help, let the people know what the problem you are trying to solve actually is instead of simply saying your solution and the reader guessing what it is you are actually trying to do.
Notes
- It can be all too easy to forget your audience has no idea what you’re talking about beyond what you tell them.
- When proposing feature requests, "for me" is never a good argument for a feature request.
- If I want someone to add a feature to their software, show how it would be useful to lots of users.
- I’ve never found anyone who didn’t want to help me if I asked them for help. Most people never pick up the phone and call. And that’s what separates (sometimes) the people who do things from the people who just dream about them. - Steve Jobs
- Instead of asking to meet, ask the question you’d ask if you meet.
- Half the battle of getting good advice is simply asking the right person.
- I catch myself saying “Sorry for being so dense” to colleagues when I don’t know something. There’s nothing to be sorry about. If you don’t have the context, that has nothing to do with your ability to understand it.
- Tired: Hey I'm looking for advice - do you have 15 min for a coffee chat? Wired: Hey I'm looking for advice - I've written a document about my situation; are you willing to read and provide feedback?
- Think in questions, not statements.
Links
- Getting Answers (2019)
- StackOverflow First, GitHub Issues Second, and Emails Last (HN)
- Don't ask to ask, just ask
- Asking for help from teammates when stuck is one of the best ways to grow
- Asking questions (2020) (HN)
- Important questions to ask at end of investor pitch
- Don't ask to ask, just ask (Code) (HN) (HN)
- How to ask questions of experts and gain more than just an answer (2017)
- Advice on asking for coding help
- How to ask good questions (2016)
- How to answer questions in a helpful way (2017)
- How to ask senior devs for help? (2020)
- Oblique Questions (2020)
- 40 questions to ask yourself every year (Code)
- Set Explicit Help Timeouts (2021)
- How to Ask Useful Questions
- Effectively asking for help
- Stop Asking Questions: How to Lead High-Impact Interviews and Learn Anything from Anyone (2021)
- How to get useful answers to your questions (HN)
- Easy framework for how to ask (and get a yes)
- Extreme questions to trigger new, better ideas (2022) (HN)
- Ask HN: Where do you go to ask questions that don't fit stackexchange.com? (2022)
- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way (Code)
- You will ask many, many questions (2022)
- Testing The "Impossible": 17 Questions That Changed My Life (2016)
- The Proust Questionnaire