“Questions that might initially seem dumb or underinformed, or downright unintelligent, are the smartest way to learn stuff.”

I follow the writing of The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson and his newsletter, Work in Progress. I write about Thompson today because I experienced the convergence of his writing with one of the largest events produced by the Nashville Health Care Council , Wall Street’s View on Prospects for the Healthcare Industry. ?

There is an unusual convergence between the Council and The Atlantic's Thompson and you should know the reasons I connect the two.

Today’s event in Nashville was more impactful than in previous years…I feel “smarter.”?Afterward, I shared my enthusiastically positive review of the Council event with a friend who agreed, but then he said “Perhaps the reason you learned more was because the content [and the questions asked by the moderator] were more “basic” than in years past?”

More "basic?" My friend’s comment was almost insulting, but then I realized he was 100% accurate. To describe aspects of today's event as “basic” is precisely the point of Thompson’s latest essay, Stop trying to ask 'smart questions'.

Today Thompson writes, “…for most of my professional life…I thought that asking Smart Questions was of the utmost importance…” because a “…Smart Question is a query designed to advertise the wisdom of the asker.”?Thompson continues “…after many years of subscribing to the theory of Smart Questions, I’ve decided that I’ve been mostly wrong. Smart Questions are, typically, kind of dumb. And, just as typical, questions that might initially seem dumb or underinformed, or downright unintelligent, are the smartest way to learn stuff…[t]his approach inverts the conventional understanding of an interview.”

Thompson continues, “Most people think the point of a good question is to get a good answer, but maybe that’s wrong. Maybe the point of a good question is to arrive at a better question.”?That’s great advice.

Next time we speak, I may try a suggestion directly from Thompson…to ask good questions to arrive at better questions.?If you try the approach, let me know how it goes for you.?And no need to worry, I definitely won’t ask you a “Smart Question.”