There is no such thing as a dumb question” is a phrase most of us have heard from our days as students.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to improve the way you phrase your questions. The Question CODE, where CODE is an acronym, helps you ask or answer questions better to facilitate more impactful responses.

Apply the CODE mental mode to form your question to help the respondent understand what you want or how you want to receive the answer. Instead of a one-word or short, unsatisfactory response, the CODE acronym brings you one step further by opening up room for dialogue.

This video is also helpful if you need a better way of answering questions. Say you’re on a panel, use CODE to ask the person guidelines to make your answer more useful.