Curiosity is the gateway to wisdom, and asking the right questions can play a key role in helping you understand a topic.

But what kind of questions should you ask, and how do you go about asking them? Here are five tips to make you a better enquirer – although remember, when it comes to learning, there’s no such thing as stupid questions: it’s better to ask than remain in the dark.

1. Listen actively

When someone is imparting new knowledge, listen to the best of your ability. This can sometimes be difficult, but listening actively allows you to better pick up the finer points of a message, and discover small nuances that you can then bring up in your queries.

It also ensures you do not accidentally ask about things that have already been covered.

2. Ask open-ended questions

Where possible, ask questions that invite people to explain something, instead of providing simple “yes” or “no” responses. For instance, instead of “did you like Singapore?”, consider “how did you find Singapore?” This would result in the other person opening up and sharing more information.

The same goes with learning: ask questions that invite discourse. “Did the Chinese invent paper?” is OK; “how did the Chinese invent paper?” is better.

3. Keep questions simple and precise

Like many things in life, the smaller and simpler a question is, the better.

You could ask something like this: “How does the moon affect the tides, and are there ways we could utilise this phenomenon, especially in the field of agriculture?” But chances are, the explainer will forget to address one or two parts of that rather unwieldy sentence.

A better alternative is to split it into smaller parts:

• How does the moon affect the tides?
• Can we utilise this force for mankind’s benefit?
• Can we use this in the field of agriculture?

The explainer can then focus on each part individually and provide clearer, more rounded answers.

4. Consider other angles

When confronted with new fields of knowledge, humans tend to view things through their own lenses and lived perspectives.

Consider, however, different viewpoints and contexts: how would this knowledge help someone from a different culture, or from a different background? How can it be applied to different industries? Might there be weaknesses or challenges when adapting this knowledge for other purposes?

Examining something from all angles not only improves your critical thinking but also boosts your empathy.

5. Ask the question well

When asking your question, make sure to:

• speak in a friendly, non-aggressive way;
• not interrupt the answer;
• listen for opportunities to ask follow-up questions;
• thank the person for answering.

Oftentimes, a person’s answer will invite more questions, which will lead to more knowledge being imparted. You will find that follow-up questions usually come easier as they arise organically from the original query.

This article was written by Terence Toh of ReSkills.com, a local online education platform aiming to make education affordable and accessible for all. Its ‘OnLive’ classes for adult learners are conducted by qualified and experienced coaches from all around the region.