What's a good way to say "I don't know" in a constructive way?
January 21, 2015 6:20 PM Subscribe
In my role at work, I'm often approached on a day to day basis with very specific ad hoc questions. Often times, I have no background on the question / issue, and am not sure how to answer.
Sometimes I'm blindsided by questions at work, without having much background on them. The reason people come to me with these questions is that I am one of very few Finance/Accounting people at my company, and I have access to certain information systems that they don't have. However, this certainly doesn't mean I have all the info or answers at my fingertips!
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
Instead, I pretty much furrow my brow and jump into *trying* to answer the question, without even fully understanding it. The end result is giving really wishy washy, unproductive answers: "Um, well, did you think about doing it XX way?... Is the issue that XX is wrong?.. Do you think Person A can help with this?" Then they give me even more abstract information, and my questions get more abstract, until finally they reach some resolution themselves, or I tell them to let me think about it and get back to them.
Sometimes, the ultimate answer I'd like to give is also "I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
It's essentially a waste of my time (and their's), not because I don't want to be asked a question, but because I don't get a full understanding of their core issues.
Much of the reason, I think, is due to my own ego.... I want to be able to answer every question I get right away. Or perhaps this is my subconscious way of not getting too involved.
So what would be a good way to have more of a conversation together to better understand the issue at hand?*
This is a maybe a basic question, and I should add the disclaimer that I'm fairly socially inept :-)
Sometimes I'm blindsided by questions at work, without having much background on them. The reason people come to me with these questions is that I am one of very few Finance/Accounting people at my company, and I have access to certain information systems that they don't have. However, this certainly doesn't mean I have all the info or answers at my fingertips!
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
Instead, I pretty much furrow my brow and jump into *trying* to answer the question, without even fully understanding it. The end result is giving really wishy washy, unproductive answers: "Um, well, did you think about doing it XX way?... Is the issue that XX is wrong?.. Do you think Person A can help with this?" Then they give me even more abstract information, and my questions get more abstract, until finally they reach some resolution themselves, or I tell them to let me think about it and get back to them.
Sometimes, the ultimate answer I'd like to give is also "I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
It's essentially a waste of my time (and their's), not because I don't want to be asked a question, but because I don't get a full understanding of their core issues.
Much of the reason, I think, is due to my own ego.... I want to be able to answer every question I get right away. Or perhaps this is my subconscious way of not getting too involved.
So what would be a good way to have more of a conversation together to better understand the issue at hand?*
This is a maybe a basic question, and I should add the disclaimer that I'm fairly socially inept :-)
The best way to handle that is to admit you don't know. "I'm really sorry, but I haven't encountered that situation / had much experience with that yet and I wouldn't want to accidentally give you the wrong info. Let me check with Person X and I'll get back to you with the answer."
It's better for you, because you now know what you need to learn, and it's better for the person you're talking to because they're not being given bad information.
Don't let yourself become known as the person who doesn't know what they're talking about.
posted by erst at 6:26 PM on January 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
It's better for you, because you now know what you need to learn, and it's better for the person you're talking to because they're not being given bad information.
Don't let yourself become known as the person who doesn't know what they're talking about.
posted by erst at 6:26 PM on January 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
More verbosely: They are not asking you because they are testing you. They are asking you because they want you to help them do a thing. Help them do the thing, don't try to pass a test.
posted by PMdixon at 6:27 PM on January 21, 2015 [43 favorites]
posted by PMdixon at 6:27 PM on January 21, 2015 [43 favorites]
I think what you need to work on is not saying the first thing you think of. It seems like you want to respond with "x" but your ego jumps in and blurts out "y" without thinking. Remember that it's ok to take a pause and gather your thoughts when someone asks you a question.
I've been on both ends of this type of interaction; as an askee I tend to err on the side of caution but I always take a few seconds to think it through. As an asker, who often comes up with weird random questions for people, I expect you to take a second. I would much rather you did and I would much rather you point me in the direction of who can help me rather than getting it wrong. Just tell your ego you won't get any ego points for that!
posted by bleep at 6:33 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've been on both ends of this type of interaction; as an askee I tend to err on the side of caution but I always take a few seconds to think it through. As an asker, who often comes up with weird random questions for people, I expect you to take a second. I would much rather you did and I would much rather you point me in the direction of who can help me rather than getting it wrong. Just tell your ego you won't get any ego points for that!
posted by bleep at 6:33 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Much of the reason, I think, is due to my own ego.... I want to be able to answer every question I get right away.
It sounds like this is exactly the issue and maybe the thing to work on.
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
You can say this. But if it's not about something in your job area, no amount of background is going to make you the appropriate person to ask.
Sometimes, the ultimate answer I'd like to give is also "I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
That's 100% the right thing to say. These answers you'd like to give? They are exactly the ones you can and should be giving. There's nothing wrong with them and they are appropriate.
posted by Miko at 6:37 PM on January 21, 2015 [12 favorites]
It sounds like this is exactly the issue and maybe the thing to work on.
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
You can say this. But if it's not about something in your job area, no amount of background is going to make you the appropriate person to ask.
Sometimes, the ultimate answer I'd like to give is also "I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
That's 100% the right thing to say. These answers you'd like to give? They are exactly the ones you can and should be giving. There's nothing wrong with them and they are appropriate.
posted by Miko at 6:37 PM on January 21, 2015 [12 favorites]
Why can't you say what you want to say? It sounds very honest, reasonable, and still willing to help if it turns out you can.
posted by cecic at 6:38 PM on January 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by cecic at 6:38 PM on January 21, 2015 [6 favorites]
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
"I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
These are both perfectly acceptable. You need to work on that ego because it will get you in trouble. (Pot, meet kettle.)
It's okay to ask for more information or context or time to think about something. Often in fact-finding meetings, my final statement is, "I'm sure I'll be reaching out to you to clarify some points once I get deeper into this."
Besides, if you bluff your way through something, because you don't want to admit you don't know, or don't understand...you're wasting your time and the asker's time.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:43 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
"I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this. I can help with XX area. But you should probably talk to XX about this"
These are both perfectly acceptable. You need to work on that ego because it will get you in trouble. (Pot, meet kettle.)
It's okay to ask for more information or context or time to think about something. Often in fact-finding meetings, my final statement is, "I'm sure I'll be reaching out to you to clarify some points once I get deeper into this."
Besides, if you bluff your way through something, because you don't want to admit you don't know, or don't understand...you're wasting your time and the asker's time.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:43 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd go for the redirect. "You're asking about X [broad topic], is that right? That sounds like a question Susan or Bob might be able to answer."
posted by danceswithlight at 6:44 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by danceswithlight at 6:44 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Parts of my job involve "answering" exactly these kinds of questions. I've found that it's much more productive - and people are generally much happier - when I'm upfront about the limits of my knowledge, when I ask them questions to make sure I understand what it is they ultimately want, and when I say things like "I'm not sure - I'll need to consult with soandso and blahdiblah; I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
posted by rtha at 6:44 PM on January 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by rtha at 6:44 PM on January 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
"That's an interesting problem. I don't know the answer, but I feel like a solution would help me in XYZ way. Let's go figure it out together."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:06 PM on January 21, 2015
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:06 PM on January 21, 2015
You should seriously check out stuff about "the reference interview" from librarianship. I am a medical librarian and get asked about 40 questions/day I don't know the answer to (hard questions like "if a patient had Nissen fundoplication at 15, can they take PPIs at age 30?"), yet I can't appear frazzled or uncertain at any point.
There are techniques and ways to help draw out "the real question" in reference service. This article (http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/willenbrown.htm) has a great description of the real question and how it might present hidden as another question, as well as some discussion of how to conduct the reference interview.
Your first instinct-- "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?" --is a GREAT kind of question to ask to start a reference interview, but isn't the only way to do so. In general, some tips I give to new librarians to remember are: open-ended questions are better than closed-ended. Ask questions so you can understand their thought process and needs. Ask questions you don't really need an answer to so you can have a moment to think about what to do as they talk. Ask what they have already done to try to solve the problem, and ask what did not work about that process. State back the question you hear, to make sure you're both communicating about the same question.
This whole process takes time to practice and does not come easy; you have to get over your instincts that say not to ask questions that make you look stupid. For the question above, I actually said, "Well that's a great question. I will help you find an answer, but first I need some background so I understand. What's a Nissen fundoplication? What is a PPI?" Then after we spoke for a bit, I stated back their question: "So you're asking, if a patient who undergoes a specific stomach surgery, who later in life develops heartburn, can they take an anti-heartburn medication from the proton pump inhibitor drug class?" to ensure I had it right. Now that we both understood the question, we could start to work together productively.
posted by holyrood at 7:14 PM on January 21, 2015 [25 favorites]
There are techniques and ways to help draw out "the real question" in reference service. This article (http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/willenbrown.htm) has a great description of the real question and how it might present hidden as another question, as well as some discussion of how to conduct the reference interview.
Your first instinct-- "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?" --is a GREAT kind of question to ask to start a reference interview, but isn't the only way to do so. In general, some tips I give to new librarians to remember are: open-ended questions are better than closed-ended. Ask questions so you can understand their thought process and needs. Ask questions you don't really need an answer to so you can have a moment to think about what to do as they talk. Ask what they have already done to try to solve the problem, and ask what did not work about that process. State back the question you hear, to make sure you're both communicating about the same question.
This whole process takes time to practice and does not come easy; you have to get over your instincts that say not to ask questions that make you look stupid. For the question above, I actually said, "Well that's a great question. I will help you find an answer, but first I need some background so I understand. What's a Nissen fundoplication? What is a PPI?" Then after we spoke for a bit, I stated back their question: "So you're asking, if a patient who undergoes a specific stomach surgery, who later in life develops heartburn, can they take an anti-heartburn medication from the proton pump inhibitor drug class?" to ensure I had it right. Now that we both understood the question, we could start to work together productively.
posted by holyrood at 7:14 PM on January 21, 2015 [25 favorites]
"What do you mean?"
posted by oceanjesse at 7:23 PM on January 21, 2015
posted by oceanjesse at 7:23 PM on January 21, 2015
From your question, it seems to me that there are two issues or scenarios at play here.
Scenario 1: Person asks you a question that is sort of vague or broad. You think you know what they're getting at or what they are actually meaning to say, but aren't sure.
Appropriate response for Scenario 1: restatement, request for clarification, close listening.
Person: "Hey watrlily, I need to do X but I'm not sure if usual response Y is right and also irrelevant information and there is also N happening and help please?"
You: "So, you need to know how to do X in situation B, am I hearing you right?"
"Yeah. X happened and I can't do usual response Y because weird thing N is also a factor."
"Oh. Ok, well in that situation you have to do Z because Y doesn't work due to blah blah blah."
"Hey, thanks watrlily, that's super helpful!"
Scenario 2: You understand the issue or question precisely (or due to playing through Scenario 1 now do know the issue at hand) but aren't sure of the answer. In this situation, your response is always one of two things:
1) Huh. You know what, I'm not totally sure about that. (if applicable: I think the solution is X but I'm not sure.) Let me check with Resource/Knowledgeable Person and get back to you by T time, okay?
2) Honestly, I'm not sure and/or am really busy with Other Task -- but I think Resource/Knowledgeable Person will know, why don't you check in with them and if they're not sure let me know and I'll try to work out Issue (if you actually would be able to).
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:33 PM on January 21, 2015
Scenario 1: Person asks you a question that is sort of vague or broad. You think you know what they're getting at or what they are actually meaning to say, but aren't sure.
Appropriate response for Scenario 1: restatement, request for clarification, close listening.
Person: "Hey watrlily, I need to do X but I'm not sure if usual response Y is right and also irrelevant information and there is also N happening and help please?"
You: "So, you need to know how to do X in situation B, am I hearing you right?"
"Yeah. X happened and I can't do usual response Y because weird thing N is also a factor."
"Oh. Ok, well in that situation you have to do Z because Y doesn't work due to blah blah blah."
"Hey, thanks watrlily, that's super helpful!"
Scenario 2: You understand the issue or question precisely (or due to playing through Scenario 1 now do know the issue at hand) but aren't sure of the answer. In this situation, your response is always one of two things:
1) Huh. You know what, I'm not totally sure about that. (if applicable: I think the solution is X but I'm not sure.) Let me check with Resource/Knowledgeable Person and get back to you by T time, okay?
2) Honestly, I'm not sure and/or am really busy with Other Task -- but I think Resource/Knowledgeable Person will know, why don't you check in with them and if they're not sure let me know and I'll try to work out Issue (if you actually would be able to).
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:33 PM on January 21, 2015
My preferred alternative to "I don't know" is "Let's find out."
If you can't answer their question because you don't understand the problem, start asking questions until you find firmer footing.
I have a heavily problem-solving oriented job and find that most people have no idea how to ask for help. Usually a few directed questions get to the bottom of what they actually need help with.
posted by Sara C. at 8:01 PM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you can't answer their question because you don't understand the problem, start asking questions until you find firmer footing.
I have a heavily problem-solving oriented job and find that most people have no idea how to ask for help. Usually a few directed questions get to the bottom of what they actually need help with.
posted by Sara C. at 8:01 PM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Okay, okay, I feel so strongly about this that I will say in all caps LISTEN TO ME.
"That's an excellent question!" is your first response
Then your thinking face while you think followed by:
"I think that's X's department, let me get you two in touch."
"So you're looking to (rephrase the question in language you understand so you can get on the same page)?"
"I haven't dealt with that before." followed by "Can you give me some more details?" and/or "Let's ask my boss."
BUT ALWAYS START WITH "That's an excellent question." it starts the conversation on the right foot.
edit: I am now known as the person in my company who's one of the go-tos on basically any issue... maybe because I'm actually friendly even when I have no fucking idea and offer to direct them to a better resource. I just parlayed this into a promotion. It's demonstrating value and will be noticed. And I also work in accounting... with no prior accounting experience before 11 months ago so I'm probably getting very similar questions to you.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 8:02 PM on January 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
"That's an excellent question!" is your first response
Then your thinking face while you think followed by:
"I think that's X's department, let me get you two in touch."
"So you're looking to (rephrase the question in language you understand so you can get on the same page)?"
"I haven't dealt with that before." followed by "Can you give me some more details?" and/or "Let's ask my boss."
BUT ALWAYS START WITH "That's an excellent question." it starts the conversation on the right foot.
edit: I am now known as the person in my company who's one of the go-tos on basically any issue... maybe because I'm actually friendly even when I have no fucking idea and offer to direct them to a better resource. I just parlayed this into a promotion. It's demonstrating value and will be noticed. And I also work in accounting... with no prior accounting experience before 11 months ago so I'm probably getting very similar questions to you.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 8:02 PM on January 21, 2015 [8 favorites]
It's absolutely okay to ask for more background information. Most people suck at asking for what they need. Zooming out and trying to get a quick understanding of the big picture will help you determine how to help them.
posted by radioamy at 8:07 PM on January 21, 2015
posted by radioamy at 8:07 PM on January 21, 2015
Can you restate that? I don't understand the question.
ok. That makes sense, but I don't know the answer. Let's figure it out.
(knuckles down w/google or walks together to another cube.)
posted by j_curiouser at 8:27 PM on January 21, 2015
ok. That makes sense, but I don't know the answer. Let's figure it out.
(knuckles down w/google or walks together to another cube.)
posted by j_curiouser at 8:27 PM on January 21, 2015
Yes yes yes to "Wow, what a great question!" while you collect your thoughts. This is phone tech support 101. Say "Wow, what a great question" while you're looking up the answer if you're certain you understand the question. If you aren't certain you understand the question, STILL say it's a great question, then rephrase it and keep rephrasing it until they agree that was their question. At that point you're often halfway to the answer.
posted by town of cats at 9:39 PM on January 21, 2015
posted by town of cats at 9:39 PM on January 21, 2015
"I don't know. But I will see if I can find out for you."
If you don't understand what they're asking, then add something like "Could you explain that to me further?" or a clarifying question.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:15 PM on January 21, 2015
If you don't understand what they're asking, then add something like "Could you explain that to me further?" or a clarifying question.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:15 PM on January 21, 2015
I'm one of those people asking these kind of questions. The person I ask often says, "I'm sorry, I don't want to take up too much of your time, but can you give me a little more background on this?" It seems fine and lets me know they want to do a thorough job answering. It makes me respect them more*, not less, because I come to realize their job requires considering more like 18 nuanced variables instead of just the 4 basic variables I'd provided in my question. (* Not that I disrespected them to begin with.)
posted by salvia at 12:10 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by salvia at 12:10 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
The (rather rare) skill of being able to handle a question with an unknown answer is, in my opinion, the best test of a consultant. It is rare because it demands:
1. Good Listening - so as to rapidly establish that the answer is unknown.
2. Honesty and Self Confidence - to admit to the other person that the answer is unknown.
3. Wisdom - to decide how to triage the problem: accept, pass on or reject.
4. Improvisation skills - to know how to rapidly divine a solution from limited initial information.
5. Dependability - to be able to take ownership of finding an answer (where appropriate)
The answer "I don't know" - followed by an effective follow up - is the mark of a true guru.
posted by rongorongo at 12:36 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
1. Good Listening - so as to rapidly establish that the answer is unknown.
2. Honesty and Self Confidence - to admit to the other person that the answer is unknown.
3. Wisdom - to decide how to triage the problem: accept, pass on or reject.
4. Improvisation skills - to know how to rapidly divine a solution from limited initial information.
5. Dependability - to be able to take ownership of finding an answer (where appropriate)
The answer "I don't know" - followed by an effective follow up - is the mark of a true guru.
posted by rongorongo at 12:36 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
One quick mental check you should do is whether the question is appropriately directed to you. Things you don't know that are your responsibility - lots of good advice above. Things you don't know that aren't your responsibility - you have to have the confidence to say "I don't know, and I can't really help you with that". You aren't doing anyone any favours if you put yourself in the middle of trying to find the person or resource to answer a question that's not part of your role - if you can point people in the right direction then great, but otherwise it's best if you just tell them "no" so they eliminate you from their search for an answer.
posted by crocomancer at 1:59 AM on January 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by crocomancer at 1:59 AM on January 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
"I don't think I'm the person to reach out to about this" is a completely acceptable and common answer. I've even learned to build it into my questions at work when I'm reaching out to someone I don't really know ("if you're not the right person to answer this, do you know who would be?").
And a lot of people are worse at communication than you might assume. If a question doesn't make sense to you, it may just be a poorly phrased question. It's always okay to ask for clarification.
Your job is not to be perfect, or to have encyclopedic knowledge, or to anticipate random questions out of left field. People ask you questions because they think you're smart, and if you don't understand the question or don't know the answer, they'll still think you're smart.
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:52 AM on January 22, 2015
And a lot of people are worse at communication than you might assume. If a question doesn't make sense to you, it may just be a poorly phrased question. It's always okay to ask for clarification.
Your job is not to be perfect, or to have encyclopedic knowledge, or to anticipate random questions out of left field. People ask you questions because they think you're smart, and if you don't understand the question or don't know the answer, they'll still think you're smart.
posted by Metroid Baby at 3:52 AM on January 22, 2015
I don't know, let's find out...
I don't know but xx may be able to help...
That's a good question, let me consider and get back to you
That's a good question but xx may be better placed to answer it
Fundamentally, there's nothing wrong with not knowing - people want their problems to be solved, it's not an exam. Even most of my bosses would rather hear I don't know, I'll check/find out etc than some kind of fluff that wastes everybody's time including theirs.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:36 AM on January 22, 2015
I don't know but xx may be able to help...
That's a good question, let me consider and get back to you
That's a good question but xx may be better placed to answer it
Fundamentally, there's nothing wrong with not knowing - people want their problems to be solved, it's not an exam. Even most of my bosses would rather hear I don't know, I'll check/find out etc than some kind of fluff that wastes everybody's time including theirs.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:36 AM on January 22, 2015
I run into this all the time. As a specialist at a medical school and with medicine being a huge subject, I am not going to know the answer to many questions. I usually say, "That's not an area of my expertise." (If I have an approximate answer I fill it in here. My understanding is..., caveat added to the degree of certainty.) I follow this up with: "You should be able to find the answer from..."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:15 AM on January 22, 2015
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:15 AM on January 22, 2015
The stage-manager's dodge on this is: "I don't know, but I can find out for you." In your case, you can add "or you could also ask [Sid] who may be more familiar with that than I am."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:34 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:34 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
"I don't know, but I can find out for you."
I like this answer in general, when it's your job to have to find those answers, but sometimes it isn't.
I deal with this a lot at work. I also like being the one who can answer any question, but it really hurts my productivity when people take too much advantage of my nature. Some people will reflexively ask questions of others because they don't want to figure things out themselves. So, unless it really is your job to answer any question that comes your way, try not to let people use you to do their job. You don't have to offer to follow up on anything that isn't in your area of responsibility, and doing so can hurt you in the long run. I know, it shouldn't hurt you to be helpful, but those people will run you ragged doing their work.
I mention all of this because I think when you want to be that person, it's really easy to not set appropriate boundaries, and eventually you get burned out on doing so many people's jobs in addition to your own.
posted by cabingirl at 7:11 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
I like this answer in general, when it's your job to have to find those answers, but sometimes it isn't.
I deal with this a lot at work. I also like being the one who can answer any question, but it really hurts my productivity when people take too much advantage of my nature. Some people will reflexively ask questions of others because they don't want to figure things out themselves. So, unless it really is your job to answer any question that comes your way, try not to let people use you to do their job. You don't have to offer to follow up on anything that isn't in your area of responsibility, and doing so can hurt you in the long run. I know, it shouldn't hurt you to be helpful, but those people will run you ragged doing their work.
I mention all of this because I think when you want to be that person, it's really easy to not set appropriate boundaries, and eventually you get burned out on doing so many people's jobs in addition to your own.
posted by cabingirl at 7:11 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I'm exactly the same way. Recognizing the issue is half the battle. Stay aware, and if you wake up to what you're doing in the middle of a not eloquent answer, stop yourself and say, you know, I could make a stab at this but Bob is actually better versed in the subject.
It's okay to interrupt yourself and say something like "but the truth is that i don't really know. " Starting down the path to an answer doesn't mean you can't stop or turn around. You may do this but it's a matter of remembering and giving yourself permission
posted by janey47 at 7:13 AM on January 22, 2015
It's okay to interrupt yourself and say something like "but the truth is that i don't really know. " Starting down the path to an answer doesn't mean you can't stop or turn around. You may do this but it's a matter of remembering and giving yourself permission
posted by janey47 at 7:13 AM on January 22, 2015
It's essentially a waste of my time (and their's), not because I don't want to be asked a question, but because I don't get a full understanding of their core issues.
It is not a waste of their time if you can point them in the right direction. It's not a waste of your time if you learn something from the questioner. Unless you are swamped with work, "wasting time" isn't as cut and dried as you might think. Learning more about other people in your company and their jobs is not usually a waste.
posted by soelo at 7:14 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
It is not a waste of their time if you can point them in the right direction. It's not a waste of your time if you learn something from the questioner. Unless you are swamped with work, "wasting time" isn't as cut and dried as you might think. Learning more about other people in your company and their jobs is not usually a waste.
posted by soelo at 7:14 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Lots of great answers here. You might also try, "Hmm, I need a little more context to steer you in the right direction. Can you tell me about X...?"
posted by Andrhia at 12:25 PM on January 22, 2015
posted by Andrhia at 12:25 PM on January 22, 2015
What I'd really like to say is "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're asking me. Can we take a step back? Can you give me a background on the issue?"
I don't understand the problem. Why aren't you saying the above?
posted by escape from the potato planet at 1:51 PM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't understand the problem. Why aren't you saying the above?
posted by escape from the potato planet at 1:51 PM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I really think it depends on whether answering these questions is your job or not. It sounds like folks on your team are asking you any kind of financial question, just because you are nearby. Which is sometimes OK and sometimes not.
If it is your job, and if you understand the question but you don't know the answer: "Let me check on that and I'll get back to you". Then write it down so you don't forget, give yourself a deadline, and then actually check on it and get back to the person.
If it is your job and you DON'T understand the question: "That's a great question, but it's going to take a bit more work then just a hallway conversation. Can we meet at X:xx time to sit down and walk through it to make sure I've got all the info?"
If it is NOT your job, and you understand the question but you don't know the answer: You have to decide if your spending time on this question will help you, the asker, the team as a whole, the company as a whole. If it's not too much trouble and you want to do it, use the "Let me check on that and get back to you".
If it is NOT your job and it's a really big research project or if you don't understand the question but you know it's not yours, then say something like "that's a really good question. I don't know the answer and it's a really big project to figure it out. Bob is the guy you really need to go to for this one."
One other thing you can strive for is friendly and polite, or comraderie. "Jim, you always ask the tough ones, don't you?! I wish I could solve this for you but Bob would be a much better guy to do it justice." I wouldn't use the short "that won't be possible" type of answer, or any kind of "it's not my job" but you can express the same sentiments with friendliness and/or dignity and make the asker feel good about their issue while you redirect them to the correct place.
posted by CathyG at 3:05 PM on January 22, 2015
If it is your job, and if you understand the question but you don't know the answer: "Let me check on that and I'll get back to you". Then write it down so you don't forget, give yourself a deadline, and then actually check on it and get back to the person.
If it is your job and you DON'T understand the question: "That's a great question, but it's going to take a bit more work then just a hallway conversation. Can we meet at X:xx time to sit down and walk through it to make sure I've got all the info?"
If it is NOT your job, and you understand the question but you don't know the answer: You have to decide if your spending time on this question will help you, the asker, the team as a whole, the company as a whole. If it's not too much trouble and you want to do it, use the "Let me check on that and get back to you".
If it is NOT your job and it's a really big research project or if you don't understand the question but you know it's not yours, then say something like "that's a really good question. I don't know the answer and it's a really big project to figure it out. Bob is the guy you really need to go to for this one."
One other thing you can strive for is friendly and polite, or comraderie. "Jim, you always ask the tough ones, don't you?! I wish I could solve this for you but Bob would be a much better guy to do it justice." I wouldn't use the short "that won't be possible" type of answer, or any kind of "it's not my job" but you can express the same sentiments with friendliness and/or dignity and make the asker feel good about their issue while you redirect them to the correct place.
posted by CathyG at 3:05 PM on January 22, 2015
"I'm not sure I understand your question."
"I'm not sure that's my area of expertise."
"I'm not sure if I can help, but I'd need some more background of what you're trying to accomplish to be sure."
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:54 PM on January 22, 2015
"I'm not sure that's my area of expertise."
"I'm not sure if I can help, but I'd need some more background of what you're trying to accomplish to be sure."
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:54 PM on January 22, 2015
"Can you give me some more detail on that? Hmm. That's a question that could have a couple different answers depending on whether you're looking to X or Y. I don't know off the top of my head, but if you shoot me a quick email with a little bit more about the context I can get back to you by later today."
posted by MsMolly at 4:48 PM on January 23, 2015
posted by MsMolly at 4:48 PM on January 23, 2015
Response by poster: (( Update ))
Thank you everyone for your responses. They were all really helpful. Now when these situations are coming up, I've been making more of an effort to clarify my understanding, and others' understanding, to get to a next step.
posted by watrlily at 8:38 AM on February 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Thank you everyone for your responses. They were all really helpful. Now when these situations are coming up, I've been making more of an effort to clarify my understanding, and others' understanding, to get to a next step.
posted by watrlily at 8:38 AM on February 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
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"I don't know. I know how to find out."
"I don't know. You should ask Bob."
"I think I know, but you should probably double check with someone else."
posted by PMdixon at 6:24 PM on January 21, 2015 [6 favorites]