The Key to Maximizing AI! The Secrets of Questioning Skills and Prompts: Why Are Questioning Skills Important?

We ask many questions every day, often unconsciously. "What's the weather like today?" "What should I have for lunch?" "Is this the right way to proceed with this work?"—questions are the starting point of thought and the core of communication.

However, the answer you get changes significantly depending on how you ask. For example, the answer derived from the question "How can I increase sales?" is different from the one derived from "What is the fastest-growing product in the current market?" Similarly, by properly designing prompts (questions or instructions) for AI, you can elicit more valuable information and insights.

Historical examples where questions changed the world

In fact, much of human progress has been born from "excellent questions."

The Socratic Method

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates deepened his interlocutor's thinking and explored truth by repeatedly asking simple "Why?" questions. This method is still utilized in education and business today.

Isaac Newton's "Why does an apple fall?"

By questioning the casual phenomenon of an apple falling from a tree, he discovered the physical law of "gravity," which greatly advanced global science.

Steve Jobs' "Why can't computers be more intuitive?"

That question led to the invention of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) using a mouse, which supported Apple's success.

2. What are questioning skills?

Questioning skills are the "ability to elicit appropriate information from others (humans or AI)."

Especially in the AI era, "what kind of question you ask" becomes the crucial point that determines "what kind of answer you get."

Now, let's look at the specific differences between "good questions" and "bad questions."

① Differences between good and bad questions

If the quality of the question is low, the resulting answer will be vague, and you will not reach the information you are seeking.

Conversely, if the quality of the question is high, you can obtain clear and practical answers.

🔹 Characteristics of bad questions

• Vague information (unclear what subject is being asked about)

• Lack of conditions (no target or specific situation)

• Difficult for AI to judge (cannot determine the direction of the output)

🔹 Characteristics of a good question

• Specify a concrete target (e.g., "eco-friendly bags for women in their 30s")

• Clarify the purpose (e.g., "for beginners," "for product descriptions")

• Specify the expected format (e.g., "tell me 3 books," "use simple language")

In this way, by adding specificity, the accuracy of the AI's response improves.

② "Vague Questions vs. Clear Questions"

When asking AI questions, it is important to ask "clear questions" rather than "vague questions".

🔹 Examples of vague questions

"Improve this prompt" → It doesn't know how it should be improved

"What do you think of this product?" → It doesn't know from which perspective (design? features? price?) it should evaluate it

🔹 Examples of clear questions

"To strengthen SEO, tell me how to make this prompt more specific"

"Regarding the pricing of this product, please give me advice after comparing it with competitors"

💡 Points

• Include a specific purpose (e.g., "for SEO," "compare with competitors")

• Clarify what you want the AI to do (e.g., "direction for improvement," "evaluation criteria")

• Add conditions (e.g., "explain in 5 points," "give 3 examples")

Avoiding "vague questions" is very important not only for AI but also for communication with people!

③ Open-ended questions and closed-ended questions

There are two types of questions: open-ended questions and closed-ended questions.

🔹 Open-ended questions (questions that encourage free-form answers)

• "What are the benefits of this product?"

• "How can I use AI to streamline my work?"

• "Please tell me tips for creating effective prompts."

👉 Pros: Suitable for deepening thinking or eliciting new ideas

👉 Cons: Answers can become too broad

🔹 Closed-ended questions (questions with Yes/No or specific options)

• "Is the benefit of this product its price, or its quality?"

• "Do you think using AI can reduce work time by 30%?"

• "For SEO, what is more important: keyword selection or link building?"

👉 Pros: Suitable for getting specific answers quickly

👉 Cons: Not suitable for gaining deep insights

💡 Tips for asking AI questions

• "When you want to expand on ideas" → open-ended questions

• "When you want to consider specific options" → closed-ended questions

④ How to create questions suitable for AI

To get AI to provide appropriate answers, it is important to "convey information in an organized format".

✅ Bad example: "Please give me advice on SEO."

✅ Good example: "Please propose 3 effective strategies for SEO based on the latest 2024 trends."

📝 Question template suitable for AI

By combining "purpose + conditions + output format + specific examples" in this way, you can elicit better answers from AI.

Summary

1. Questioning skill is the ability to elicit accurate information from others (humans or AI)

2. It is important to understand the difference between "good questions" and "bad questions"

3. Questions should not be vague; make them as clear as possible

4. Use open-ended and closed-ended questions appropriately

5. For questions suitable for AI, keep "purpose + conditions + output format + specific examples" in mind

Next time, I will explain in detail about "prompts," which are essential for interacting with AI!
Coming out tomorrow!