The many questions (college, aunt, mistakes, people)

[tinytrump]

I get joked about a lot at work because I ask a lot of questions in seminars etc. etc. We have a lot of training and you can bet I will ask a question. People tell me shush or the class will take forever- so is there a problem with me or them? by they way I become the go to person- later- I hate working with 1/3 of my tools always trying to figure it out- but after today- I ask myself do I have a problem? what you think?

[Tracysherm]

I guess I would first wonder if it's just that you are attending workplace trainings to actually learn things, and the others are attending because it's required. In that case, you are right. If I were in your place, and I had to then be the go-to person because they didn't pay attention or ask questions in the training, I would not enable them by helping them out. They'd be on their own.

But I have encountered people, in the workplace, in college and grad school, and in continuing ed. trainings for my clinical license, who just go overboard with the questions. Those people ask questions that I find very annoying because of one or more of the following:
--They ask stupid questions that have already been answered in the presentation, or that are easily inferred or concluded from the info presented
--They ask irrelevant questions or are way off-topic
--They ask questions just because they need attention
--They ask weird "what if" questions about scenarios that are very unlikely to ever happen
--Their questions cause the training to go off schedule and we never get to a few important things that were supposed to be presented near the end of the training

If you fall into the category described in my first paragraph, then you're cool. If you fall into one of the categories in my second paragraph, then you may need to dial it back a bit.

[BirdieBelle]

There's no way we could answer this because we have not had the pleasure of being around you in many seminars like your co-workers.

Generally, though, I have found that MOST people will try most anything to avoid confronting someone, so if your co-workers are actually shushing you and telling you to stop, you may indeed have a problem.

You do need to examine the questions you ask and determine if they are really necessary. Just because you think of a question doesn't mean you NEED to ask it.

Sometimes your question will be answered later in the presentation.
Sometimes you can look up info later on your own.
Sometimes people ask questions because they think it makes them look prepared, eager and involved.
Sometimes people ask questions because they think it allows them to show off what they already know.

Why do YOU think you ask so many more questions than your colleagues?

[rbohm]

it has been my experience that the problem is with others. i have found that there are no such things as stupid questions, only stupid mistakes. i do however try to push questions that dont pertain to the current topic off until later when they do pertain.

[Tracysherm]

I disagree. There definitely ARE stupid questions.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by TracySam

But I have encountered people, in the workplace, in college and grad school, and in continuing ed. trainings for my clinical license, who just go overboard with the questions. Those people ask questions that I find very annoying because of one or more of the following:
--They ask stupid questions that have already been answered in the presentation, or that are easily inferred or concluded from the info presented
--They ask irrelevant questions or are way off-topic
--They ask questions just because they need attention
--They ask weird "what if" questions about scenarios that are very unlikely to ever happen
--Their questions cause the training to go off schedule and we never get to a few important things that were supposed to be presented near the end of the training

Yes, this. If it's a situation where the questions being asked are specific to your situation and wouldn't be helpful to the rest of the group, or if you're asking so many that you're derailing the presentation or making it go over time, then write them down and follow up with the instructor by email. You still get your answers, and your colleagues won't want to stab you with a pen.

[metalmancpa]

I ask a lot of questions to learn. When I ask, I listen, and I do not repeat questions on the same topic. I may annoy people, but I get annoyed by people who walk away and say "I've got this" when they prove to you later they never listened in the first place.

Since I consider myself a semi-expert in the ask a lot of questions field, it's about timing, placement, relevance to what is being said, and not being repetitive to what was said, especially when you have a book in front of you.

[tinytrump]

well- most of my partners are male. I am a female- most do not want to learn "new"- and even when it's a webinar from their own desks -they don't attend- I do sometimes jump ahead as I see the trail and where it is leading- guilty-yes- I do that- I will say this, I may irritate some, but I did get the promotion and left them all behind. One called me after i left the area-to help him out- really? I am some times frustrated by lack of information. I call the job "the house of secrets". some times the answers I get are one kernel at a time. Think this is why I may over do it with an outside source teaching. My whole thought is not to struggle with the new-whatever it is.

[ocnjgirl]

Are the questions relevant and something the whole class needs the answer to, or something everyone else got and you just need further explanation? If the latter, you should wait until the seminar is over and ask her one-one.

When I was going to my University for OT, we had one lecture class at 6pm that ended at 7:30. I had to take a train home and wanted to get there while there were still left over rush hour people and I didn't have to be down there alone. We were ALL eager to get out of there by then.

So the lecturer, a different one each week, at the end would say "So if no one has any questions, you guys can leave", we were already sitting there with our bags ready to jump up....when this one girl, always, every week, had to raise her hand to ask a question. It was always either something he had already explained and she just hadn't been paying attention or something, OR it was a story that related to the topic but was not in any way necessary (i.e. lecture by a neurologist on Parkinson's, she has to tell the story of her Aunt who had Parkinson's).

Every time this girl raised her hand we would all groan. The second year (we all had the same classes together the entire program) someone must have said something to her because she stopped doing it so much.

So ask yourself, is this a question the entire class will benefit staying longer to hear the answer to, if not ask after the rest of us get dismissed.

[Billy_J]

ALWAYS ask questions if there is something you do not fully understand. Asking questions is a sign of intelligence. Smart people ask questions - and in turn get smarter!

Proof that you are in the right is your promotion. Ignore what the others think.