The Two Parts Of A Question

The Two Parts Of A Question - question mark inside a comment bubble

There are almost always two parts to a question:

  1. The part that was asked
  2. The part that wasn’t asked (a.k.a. the question behind the question)

If you want to be a better communicator:

  • Improve your question answering skills by practicing listening for both parts of the question and considering why the question asker might not have made Part 2 explicit.
  • Improve your question asking skills by practicing being more direct by clearly, respectfully, and explicitly asking Part 2 of your question.

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