How to Deal with People who Ask Too Many Questions (with Sample Scripts)

People who ask too many questions can be annoying. They can come across as :

• Being Lazy, especially if they could have found answers on their own

• Being Needy, especially if you’re busy with your responsibilities

• Not paying attention, especially if you’ve already answered the same question before

• Being bothersome, especially if you’re heads-down doing something important

• Creating chaos, especially if they’re asking multiple people the same question

• Wasting time, especially if they’re asking irrelevant questions

Here’s how you can deal with people who ask too many questions:

Encourage them to find answers on their own

Some individuals can be so reactive that they fail to realize that they can find the answer on their own.

Examples

• That’s a good question. Did you search Google yet? That’d be the first place I’d try if I were you.

• Why don’t you try asking your mentor first?

Ask them to wait

Not setting boundaries can lead to frequent (and annoying) interruptions throughout the day.

The question below creates a boundary, forcing the other person to batch their questions for the future.

Examples

• Why don’t you save that for our next 1:1?

Invite them to re-examine their question

Hoarding is a problem. Individuals can unnecessarily collect more information than they should.

The question below forces one to pause and think whether the time and effort to get an answer is worth it.

Examples

• That’s an interesting question, but how is that relevant to your high-priority project?

Recommend that they consider the consequences of the question

Some people don’t understand that asking questions can harm relationships.

The question below encourages them to think about how others might perceive their question and re-examine whether the question should be asked in the first place.

Examples

• You could ask John that question, but how do you think they’d react?