International Ask a Question Day Date in the current year: March 14, 2024

Asking questions is one of the most essential ways to learn, as well as one of the most important skills in effective communication. However, there are quite a few people who don’t feel comfortable enough to ask questions – in certain specific settings (work, academia, personal relationships, etc.) or at all.

The fear of asking questions can be the result of many things such as anxiety, being afraid of asking a question you are supposed to know the answer to, being afraid that your question (or yourself) will called stupid, fear of being annoying and wasting other people’s time, fear of being accused of not paying enough attention, etc.

Some of these fears are more valid with others, but regardless of how grounded they are, overcoming them is important if you want to succeed in your education, career, and building long-lasting relationships with people. When you’re afraid to ask a question, you should remind yourself that no one can know everything; moreover, the more you learn, the more you understand you don’t know.

It is also important to understand that helping people gather information is just one of the many functions that questions have. Asking questions helps start discussions, aids in thinking clearly, contributes to brainstorming and problem-solving, helps people better understand each other and communicate more clearly, prevents mistakes and misunderstandings that can easily be avoided by asking a simple question, encourages personal and professional growth, and so much more.

International Ask a Question Day was created to help people overcome their fear of asking questions and celebrate inquisitiveness and curiosity. It is unclear who came up with the idea of celebrating the holiday, but we do know why it is celebrated on March 14: it is the birthday of Albert Einstein, a renowned theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. Einstein surely understood the importance of curiosity, asking questions, and searching for answers, so the choice of the date makes total sense!

There are many ways to celebrate International Ask a Question Day. You can challenge yourself to not holding back any questions you may have during the day, no matter how silly they seem, teach your children that it is okay to ask question if you don’t know something or aren’t sure about something, host a quiz for your friends and family, look up tips on how to ask questions properly, post about the holiday on social media, and more.

International Ask a Question Day is not the only observance that aims to foster inquisitiveness and curiosity. There is also Ask a Stupid Question Day, which some American schools celebrate on or around September 28. It was created to encourage students to ask more questions in the classroom, no matter how “stupid” these questions may seem to them.