I stilll think that saying "That's a good question" is just about the stupidest thing anybody can say.

Everytime somebody said that to me, I always wanted to say right back:

"I know it's a good question, that's why I asked it. Do you have a good answer for it?"

"I have a simple question is worse"! I hate when forum members add that to the post. First off it is superfluous. But what is worse os how do you know that a question is simple if you don't know the answer?

I have seen a great many posts where the OP wrote "simple question" and the thread went on for multiple pages.

 

You don't dare do it in today's climate -- you'll have the parents demanding that you apologize for hurting Johnny's or Suzie's self-esteem by making them feel inadequate in front of their fellow graduate students.

I wish I could say that I were entirely joking, too, but I can't.

When my students ask ..well, less than thought out questions. I always ask them to 'think about what you just said'..More often than not they'll phrase it differently, to where it makes sense.

 

When my students ask ..well, less than thought out questions. I always ask them to 'think about what you just said'..More often than not they'll phrase it differently, to where it makes sense.

I do that with my wife a lot. Unfortunately she will just keep on asking the same question again and again until I blow up at her.

 

I do that with my wife a lot. Unfortunately she will just keep on asking the same question again and again until I blow up at her.

Yeah...I have a few of those...I've got to be careful about the blowing up part. What I do is 'fire' them.. My class is supposed to prepare them to enter the work place, and I tell them employers want employees that think..

 

I stilll think that saying "That's a good question" is just about the stupidest thing anybody can say.

Everytime somebody said that to me, I always wanted to say right back:

"I know it's a good question, that's why I asked it. Do you have a good answer for it?"

I would say that someone who is asking a question is hardly in a position to be a judge of whether the question is good or not, so declaring that you "know" the question is good is far more arrogant than having someone of whom the question is asked, and the fact that you are asking them implies that you believe they are in a position to answer something you cannot, give their opinion on the quality of the answer.

Besides, consider the logical conclusion of your position. Since everyone could take that attitude and declare that any question they ask is a good question, that means that all questions are good and that there really is no such thing as a poor question. Do you really believe that?

 

When my students ask ..well, less than thought out questions. I always ask them to 'think about what you just said'..More often than not they'll phrase it differently, to where it makes sense.

I do similar things from time to time. Sometimes I'll say something like, "I'm not sure I'm following your train of thought, could you rephrase it a bit more clearly?"

If I use a phrase like, "Think about what you just said," it usually means that if they think about the question they've asked that the answer should become obvious to them. I'll usually repeat part of their question placing emphasis on the word or phrase that I think they should focus on.

 

and I tell them employers want employees that think..

Really? My life long experience is that the managers that employers use by far do not have any tolerance for a simple employee who can think any better than they do and many set that bat pretty low.

You might be shocked and amazed at what levels of stupidity have been used against me in attempts to get rid of me over the years due to my having continually showed the willingness to actually think about what I and we did as a company while on the job..

 

Really? My life long experience is that the managers that employers use by far do not have any tolerance for a simple employee who can think any better than they do and many set that bat pretty low.

You might be shocked and amazed at what levels of stupidity have been used against me in attempts to get rid of me over the years due to my having continually showed the willingness to actually think about what I and we did as a company while on the job..

My meaning for "think" was meant for the troubleshooting aspect of their job. Something of which a manager has no knowledge.

 

I do that with my wife a lot.

Wow..... bravest man I ever met.

 

You might be shocked and amazed at what levels of stupidity have been used against me in attempts to get rid of me over the years due to my having continually showed the willingness to actually think about what I and we did as a company while on the job..

I wouldn't be shocked. My biggest adjustment transitioning from school to real life is how in school we are given problems and taught to find the solution (or best solution if there are more than one). In the real world: it's complicated. Finding a simple solution often threatens somebody's existence because it justifies their job. Other times, only solutions that align with the prevailing political momentum are even considered. Real life is always complicated.

 

I would say that someone who is asking a question is hardly in a position to be a judge of whether the question is good or not, so declaring that you "know" the question is good is far more arrogant than having someone of whom the question is asked, and the fact that you are asking them implies that you believe they are in a position to answer something you cannot, give their opinion on the quality of the answer.

You missed the point entirely: the speaker is the one claiming that I asked "a good question" as he stalls for time to come up with an answer, so your analysis is defective. I am not judging that it is a good question, the speaker is. If I say that I know it's a good question, I am just repeating his statement in a fecetious way to point out that we really don't care what his opinion of the question is, we came to learn about the subject matter.

and the fact that you are asking them implies that you believe they are in a position to answer something you cannot, give their opinion on the quality of the answer.

Also a defective analysis. Given that the speaker is the person delivering the information, then he (by definition) should be able to answer any relevant questions. Obviously, they should be in a position to answer questions the listeners can not. If the audience already knows what the speaker knows, he is not teaching them anything new which is obviously ridiculous.

Besides, consider the logical conclusion of your position. Since everyone could take that attitude and declare that any question they ask is a good question, that means that all questions are good and that there really is no such thing as a poor question. Do you really believe that?

I stated clearly in a previous post that I know people ask stupid questions. In my 20+ years of teaching and delivering training courses I have fielded more than I could count. But I didn't engage in the useless exercise of grading the quality of questions, I just answered them.

What I believe, and stated clearly, is that it is the SPEAKER choosing to declare that it is a good question, not the asker. My "logical position" is that this is a superfluous statement which adds nothing to the transfer of information and is just an annoying stall for time or his way of preening and showing how brilliant he is. Every time somebody does it they are wasting my time and everybody else's..... hence why I don't like it. They don't need to validate the question, THEY NEED TO ANSWER IT.

 

When I don't hear correctly, I say, "repeat". It usually works. If it doesn't work, I expand it to, "Please repeat yourself. I didn't understand you".

If the question seems incredulously stupid, I say, "Please repeat yourself, but phrase it differently. That didn't make sense to me".

That goes to the heart of the problem better than, "That's a good question", and that's how I get out of "delaying tactics". Blunt, "stab it in the truth" tactics work part of the time and offend people part of the time. So far, my success percentages are pretty good. I'm not a teacher, so I can afford to pi$$ off people that can't tell the difference between a fact and an emotion. Lucky me!

 

What I believe, and stated clearly, is that it is the SPEAKER choosing to declare that it is a good question, not the asker. My "logical position" is that this is a superfluous statement which adds nothing to the transfer of information and is just an annoying stall for time or his way of preening and showing how brilliant he is. Every time somebody does it they are wasting my time and everybody else's..... hence why I don't like it. They don't need to validate the question, THEY NEED TO ANSWER IT.

I'll go ahead and accept your prior stuff within the context you described. But I still don't agree with this position. You are basically saying that it is inconceivable that anyone could remark that someone has asked a good question without that being either a delaying tactic or somehow representing an arrogant flaunting of their own self-importance. How is it a delaying tactic if the comment is followed immediately with an answer? How is me remarking that you have done something good translate into me preening and showing how brilliant I am. I suppose that if you took a course and were asked to demonstrate some skill that the instructor would just be wasting your time (and someone demonstrating their own brilliance) if they remarked that you had done a good job. Would you come back at them and say, "Of course I did a good job, I wouldn't have done it otherwise?"

Will you at least allow that it is conceivably possible for someone to say, "That's a good question," without it being either a delaying tactic while they try to dredge up an answer or some kind of attempt at self-aggrandizement?

 

I believer their truly is such a thing as a good question. If a speaker overlooks a point he would have liked to have made, and someone brings it up, that is a good question.

Several of the points made in this thread I would disagree with, it depends on context and intent.

 

Istn't that just a conversational habit? A social pause that lets them think for a couple of seconds without the tense silence that may lead you think your question is being ignored?

To me, a catch phrase is something they repeat as dogma, to make a point. Like some of the examples in the thread; "Work smarter not harder" etc. Like they are trying to make a point, to pass a message along to you. To change the way you think.

Saying "That's a good question" as a social pause or as a gentle emphasis prior to answering is not really an annoying catch-phrase?

 

I don't think so, but everyone has their own opinion.

 

Saying "That's a good question" as a social pause or as a gentle emphasis prior to answering is not really an annoying catch-phrase?

OK, maybe it doesn't qualify as a catch phrase. Let's just say it's annoying.

But let's trade that one for another that is even more annoying:

Some bozo is rambling on and says something obviously wrong or contradictory and you raise your hand and ask:

"Wait a minute..... if that was true, wouldn't that mean that XYZ would also have to be true?"

Startled and in panic mode, they fall back on the old standby:

"WAIT A MINUTE.... LET'S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES!"




How is it even possible for a person to get ahead of himself? Wouldn't that mean you had to leave your body?

 

I think he means, "Wait a minute...Let's you not get ahead of me".

 

...
Startled and in panic mode, they fall back on the old standby:

"WAIT A MINUTE.... LET'S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES!"
...

I think you have had far too many conversations with people who weren't on your intellectual level.

Oh hang on... You're a design engineer working with middle managers etc in a big company. Nobody there is on your intellectual level.

 

I think the words that Bill used in his last two post should be read until you understand

his message. Going outside of that message could follow you thru your career. H.R.

records never go away ,a bad question or a answer that forms a bad question will not

serve you well. Using approved study text and answer sheets would be a good practice.

Independent thinking is not accepted by most management teams.