How to ask questions at work (script + examples)

Exact wording for asking questions without sounding clueless — and without wasting someone’s time.

Being new means you’ll have questions.

That’s not a character flaw.

That’s the job.

Scene

Early in your first job, you’ll run into a moment like this:

You’re assigned something that sounds straightforward.

Then you realize there are five hidden assumptions:

where the “latest” doc lives
what format the team expects
which stakeholder actually cares
how polished it needs to be
what “done” means in this org

If you ask a vague question (“Where is the doc?” / “What should I do?”), you’ll often get a vague answer.

If you do 20 minutes of homework and ask a tight question, you’ll get a tight answer.

That’s the difference.

Promise

This post gives you copy/paste wording for asking questions in a way that signals:

you did some homework,
you respect other people’s time,
you’re trying to get to a decision (not just “talk it out”).

What prompted this

This is a real workplace tension and the internet gets surprisingly spicy about it: juniors feel guilty asking for context, and managers feel interrupted — and both sides think the other side “should just know.” Two good reads that capture the push/pull well: https://www.askamanager.org/2019/04/am-i-annoying-my-coworkers-by-asking-for-a-ton-of-context-on-everything.html and Julia Evans’ classic on asking questions (https://jvns.ca/blog/2016/08/31/asking-questions/).

The principle: questions are not interruptions — surprises are

Most managers don’t get annoyed by questions. They get annoyed by:

vague questions (“What should I do?”)
late questions (asked after you already built the wrong thing)
drive-by questions that force them to do the thinking you should’ve done

A good question is basically a mini status update:

Here’s the goal.
Here’s what I tried.
Here’s what I think.
Here’s what I need from you.

That structure makes you look competent even when you’re missing context.

The 60-second question script (use this verbatim)

When in doubt, use this template. It works in Slack, email, or in-person.

1) Frame the goal

Start by telling them what you’re trying to achieve.

“Quick question — I’m trying to make sure I do this the right way before I go too far.”

If it’s time-sensitive:

“I’m blocked on X. If I can get 2 minutes of direction, I can keep moving.”

“Here’s what I understand so far: the deliverable is ___, and the audience is ___.”

If there’s a constraint:

“Deadline is Friday and we’re trying to keep scope small.”

3) Show what you tried (your homework)

You don’t need to write a novel. Just show you took a swing.

“I checked the docs / old tickets and found ___. I tried ___, but I’m still unclear on ___.”

4) Offer your best guess (recommendation)

This is the part that upgrades you from “junior asking for help” to “teammate making progress.”

“My current plan is to do ___ because ___.”

5) Ask a specific question (yes/no, A/B, or ‘what’s the standard?’)

“Is that the right approach?”

Or:

“Should we do Option A or Option B? I recommend A because ___. Any objections?”

Or:

“Is there a standard template / example you want me to follow?”

6) Confirm the next step (close the loop)

Repeat back the decision.

“Got it. I’ll do ___ by ___ and send you an update.”

That’s it.

Make your question easy to answer (quick checklist)

Before you hit send:

Is my question answerable in one message? If not, propose a 5-minute call.
Did I include the goal + deadline?
Did I propose a plan?
Did I make it safe to correct me? (“I might be missing context…”)

Examples (with exact wording)

Example 1: unclear deliverable (“draft” means 4 different things)

“I want to make sure I’m hitting the bar. When you say ‘draft,’ do you mean a rough outline for feedback, or something you’d be comfortable forwarding to stakeholders? I’m planning to do an outline + 3 key slides today. If you want a more polished version, tell me and I’ll adjust.”

Why it works: you defined the ambiguity and proposed a default.

Example 2: asking for context without sounding lazy

“Is there a previous version of this I can use as a reference so I don’t reinvent the wheel? I found the Q3 deck in Drive — is that the latest, or is there a more recent one you’d recommend?”

Why it works: you already searched and you’re confirming the best source.

Example 3: blocked by access / permissions

“I’m blocked on finishing ___ because I don’t have access to ___. I requested access in Okta about an hour ago. Is there someone on your side who can approve it, or should I route through IT? If I can get access today, I can still hit Friday.”

Why it works: it’s operational, not emotional.

Example 4: you think the request is wrong (without being difficult)

“I might be missing context, but I want to sanity-check the approach. If we do ___, it’ll take about 3–4 days. If the goal is just ___, I can do Option B in one day. Which outcome matters more?”

Why it works: you’re offering tradeoffs, not resistance.

Example 5: you made a mistake and need to recover fast

Own it. Move fast.

“Quick heads-up: I misunderstood ___ and built it as ___. I see now the correct requirement is ___. I can fix it by ___; new ETA is ___. Anything you want me to do differently before I proceed?”

Why it works: no drama, just clarity.

When to ask (early beats perfect)

A common beginner trap is trying to “figure it out alone” for too long because you don’t want to bother anyone.

That sounds noble. It’s also how you waste 10 hours.

A better rule:

If you’ve been stuck 20–30 minutes, ask.
If the work is large (multi-day), ask before you start building.
If you’re about to send something external (client, exec, other team), ask for a quick review.

Sometimes a five-minute discussion prevents days of misplaced work.

Slack vs. meeting vs. email (what to use)

Slack: quick decisions, clarifications, A/B choices.
Meeting / huddle: complex topics where you need back-and-forth.
Email: formal decisions, longer context, or when you want a paper trail.

If you’re not sure, default to Slack with a clear question and offer a 5-minute call:

“Happy to hop on a quick call if that’s easier — I think 5 minutes would unblock me.”

Copy/paste question templates (shortcuts)

Template: yes/no

“Goal: ___. Context: ___. My plan: ___. Quick check — is this the right approach?”

Template: A/B

“Two options: (A) ___ or (B) ___. I recommend A because ___. Any objections?”

Two quick notes, depending on where you sit:

Early-career: the goal isn’t “ask fewer questions.” The goal is “ask better questions.” Your questions are part of your professional output.
Manager: you can reduce interruptions by giving new hires two things up front: (1) where to find the basics (docs, prior examples) and (2) what a “good question” looks like (goal + attempt + recommendation).

Edge cases

If it’s a genuinely sensitive topic (performance feedback, conflict), don’t do it in Slack. Ask for a quick 1:1.
If you’re in a culture where people hate interruptions, batch questions and send them at a predictable time (“I’ll send my open questions at 3pm daily”).

Next step

Copy the “60-second question script” into a personal note so you can use it when you’re anxious and your brain goes blank.

If you want a simple update format that pairs perfectly with good questions, steal the Status update template.