Smart Questions vs. Dumb Questions vs. Lazy Questions

Questions are a powerful way to guide a conversation, but the type of question you ask determines whether you’re guiding it in the right direction.

There are different tiers of questions, and the more you understand these tiers, the better equipped you’ll be to ask high-quality, impactful questions.

In this blog, I want you to unlock your inner journalist and understand the three tiers of questions: smart, dumb, and lazy.

Let’s break them down.

What Is a Smart Question?

A smart question is born from personal experience.

These are the laser-targeted questions that come after you’ve already failed, experimented, or spent time digging deep into a subject.

Because of that experience, you can be specific, detailed, and insightful.

Example:

Let’s say you’re just starting a Shopify store.

You meet a world-renowned Shopify expert.

On day one, your questions will likely be basic like “What is Shopify?”

Not a bad question, but it doesn’t lead to a deep conversation.

You simply don’t have enough context yet.

Now imagine you’ve been running multiple Shopify stores, testing different products, experimenting with Facebook ad creatives, and analyzing sales data.

When you meet that same expert again, you can ask smart, targeted questions like:

• “What’s your conversion rate benchmark for a single-product landing page?”
• “How do you test product-market fit before scaling?”

These are smart questions.

They show curiosity, dedication, and real-world involvement.

People who ask smart questions often make great interviewers or thought leaders because they push subject-matter experts to think deeper.

What Is a Dumb Question?

Dumb questions get a bad rep, but they shouldn’t.

We are all dumb in the context of a certain field.

No one knows everything, and dumb questions often arise from a lack of technical understanding.

Example:

When I worked at a corporate tech job, our team was presenting to a client.

We casually mentioned, “We’ll transfer the files via host-to-host.”

The client stopped us and asked, “What is host-to-host?”

In the tech world, this is a simple concept.

We use it all the time, so we take it for granted.

But the client, not being technical, didn’t know.

One of our engineers winced at first but then explained it clearly.

“It’s basically when two systems automatically transfer files between each other.”

Yes, the question was dumb in nature, but that’s okay!

It was a necessary question.

Dumb questions help clarify the basics and challenge assumptions.

Important takeaway:

Never shame someone for asking a dumb question.

It may be obvious to you now, but in another domain, you might be the one asking a dumb question.

In fact, people who ask dumb questions often make great interviewers, too.

They’re a blank slate and their curiosity can lead to very foundational, valuable insights.

What Is a Lazy Question?

Lazy questions are different.

These questions show a minimal desire to learn or self-research.

Example:

Let’s say I sent a client a slide explaining the importance of host-to-host transfers and even defined it beforehand.

If they still asked me, “What’s host-to-host?”, that would be a lazy question.

Here’s another one:

When I first started growing my brand, I’d get DMs asking, “What is Toastmasters?”

That’s not a dumb question.

It’s a lazy one.

You’re on your phone, you could Google that in seconds.

People are generally forgiving of dumb questions.

But lazy questions?

Not so much.

They come across as a lack of initiative.

What Kind of Question-Asker Are You?

The more questions you ask, the better you get.

Simple as that.

My philosophy is to ask unlimited questions.

You don’t know until you ask.

And sometimes, especially in the beginning of a journey, even lazy questions can come from a place of deep ignorance.

You might not know what to search for yet.

So, if someone asks you a dumb or lazy question, use it as an opportunity to practice your communication skills.

Instead of brushing them off, clarify, explain, and help.

It sharpens your ability to teach and makes you better at your craft.

Ultimately, those who ask more questions get more answers.

For more tips on social skills, be sure to check out my book, the Charisma King

– ArmaniTalks