In Defense of the “Dumb” Question

Every failed museum project had a moment when somebody almost asked a “dumb” question.

Then didn’t.

But should have.

And for lack of that “dumb” question — somebody early on saying out loud, “Wait, what?” — the project went down Path B and ended up, well, you know.

Despite the name, “dumb” questions usually aren’t dumb at all. Usually they are the opposite. Even if they feel obvious, embarrassing, or risky at the time.

In fact “dumb” questions are fearsome, superpowered killers of bad ideas.

In the museum field in particular, nobody wants to be seen as dumb, uninformed, or unsophisticated. So we go along with meeting agendas. We don’t threaten what appears to be progress. Everyone has to seem smart, so we move fast, even if we don’t actually understand each other.

But “dumb” questions have a way of detecting assumptions that make no sense. They reveal mental models that don’t match. They question forced consensus.

Here’s the thing:

Despite the name, “dumb” questions usually aren’t dumb at all.

So next time you think you might have one, please, let’s hear it.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. “Dumb” questions are just one way to address the curse of knowledge. See more ways to preserve a novice mindset in last week’s series.

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MtM Word of the Day:
Word spacing. In typography, the horizontal empty space between words in a line of text. (As opposed to letter spacing or leading, aka line spacing.) To be readable, text needs word spacing that's neither too tight nor too loose.