61. No Such Thing as a Stupid Question

A Lesson in Q&A from Dilbert

The Dilbert comic strip which lampoons all aspects of the business world, turned its attention to Q&A with a panel that had Dogbert, one of the strip’s recurring characters, sitting under a red banner reading “Communication Skills Training.” Dogbert is addressing a class and says, “Today you will learn how to listen to idiots without snorting.”1

Dogbert was referring to the spontaneous reaction that many people in business display when they are asked what they consider to be idiotic or stupid questions. But this disdainful behavior can boomerang because the person who asked the question does not consider it stupid. And that person could very well be the decision maker who can ...

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