The one skill set that has helped me tremendously in my life is the ability to ask questions. I wouldn't really care about anything else, as long as I had my answer, or rather, LEARNT SOMETHING in the process. CURIOSITY was the culprit, for sure... But it did help me learn a lot, which in turn, made me quite STREETSMART.
Hence, it is not only my opinion, but something I strongly believe in: Encourage the habit of asking questions to the young AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. It isn't just a habit but a very important SKILL known as a QUESTIONING SKILL, that is necessary for several aspects of an individual's life, be it as a life skill, behavioural skill or soft skill.
This being the case, I was shocked to read about the IAS officer who not only SNAPPED BACK at students for asking questions but also went on to damage their confidence in the process of venting more of her frustration. And honestly, the students didn't do anything wrong. Asking if the government could provide sanitary pads to students at a subsidised price isn't wrong at all. It's either a YES or NO answer and there wasn't any need to react like how the IAS officer did.
Is it good to question? Is the question!
Of course, YES! If we didn't question ourselves and others, there would be absolutely no improvement whatsoever in many aspects of our lives. There's quite a big list of the advantages of developing the skill of questioning, but the biggest of all is the "kids/students are like sponges" philosophy. The more they learn to ask, the more information they absorb. That aside, here are the three top reasons from my experience.
It not only improves our critical thinking ability but also...
Critical thinking is a practical approach of applying logic and rationale to analyse why we think the way that we do, but in this process, it helps us to formulate better decisions and solve problems which again are a result of questioning skills, to begin with...
Develop this ONE skill, get another FREE!
With all the sales on popular shopping sites going on, we get excited when we see 'buy one get one', right? Well on the same lines, improve your questioning skills and you're already improving your INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS as you progress. That too SUBCONSCIOUSLY! Without much effort.
It'll help ME understand ME even better
Though I realise I sound like an internet meme, this does make sense. There's a lot of emphasis on INTERPERSONAL SKILLS and with good reason. But not many realise that the INTER works better when the INTRA is well developed. Questioning not only opens up a channel of learning from others, but once WELL-DEVELOPED, it makes us QUESTION OURSELVES, our conscience, our moral compass, our ethics, our decisions and so on. This leads to the holistic development of our psyche and also makes us more MATURE... more EFFICIENTLY.
Ask and you shall receive... May receive... May not receive! But still, don't stop asking!
We are the ONE country with the largest youth population. We need to bring in change and it's definitely in our hands. But how? Well, we the youth definitely need to question the government and its representatives when we TRULY NEED TO. If we don't, we'll never be able to keep them honest and responsible.
But there are three important steps that you need to follow when you question on a public forum:
- Never back down, have the courage but also ensure that you're in a safe surrounding
- Be polite and courteous irrespective of how BURNING the issue is
- The more calm and composed you are, the more effective you'll be whilst being applauded and appreciated for the same. So never lose your cool
Very important tip: Don't ever feel awkward if you don't get your answer answered or get the desired response. Irrespective of what anyone else might feel or talk about, remember that you had the courage to do so and are prepping yourself to be a proactive individual and not a backseat driver in life.
As I sign off...
Do you like my column? Do you like how we pick topics? Do have ideas to make my efforts get better results? Well, I preach what I practice (most of the time) and leave you with the aforementioned questions that I'd love to be answered by you all.
With Regards,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj
"Your Coach"
