When asked a question I feel compelled to answer fully & truthfully. This seems to annoy some people.

This morning I have been thinking about an aspect of my personality – my worldview perhaps – that is a bit of a double-edge sword. I tend to think strategically. I also feel uncomfortable with ‘sound bites’, where often complex issues are reduced to platitudes and a level of simplicity that risks them becoming meaningless and, perhaps worse, useless and even misleading.

The reason it is a double-edged sword is that the person asking the question may only want a sound-bite answer – (in which case why ask the question at all) – and may become bored or even irate, which makes a sensitive soul like me feel uncomfortable. I like to answer questions fully and truthfully. Anything wrong with that?

If I was sat in a pub engaged in conversation with a stranger and they learned that I had a background in energy and energy efficiency they might ask me a seemingly innocuous question like this: “are heat pumps any good?” , not necessarily out of idle curiosity but perhaps because they were thinking of buying one and wanted another opinion. My ‘problem’ kicks in straight away because I know there is no simple quick answer to most questions, let alone this one. 

I tend to think of the ‘specific’ in the context of the ‘general’. The simple answer to the question is “they can be”, which the person asking may not think is helpful. I would want to explain the differences between water, air and ground-source heat pumps and compare these with other heat sources, such as gas, electric, solar thermal and so on. I would want to explain what is meant by a “low-grade heat source” and the implications of this for the heating system as a whole, which would preferably be ambient heating. I would almost certainly have to explain what this means, which would usually involve a description of water and electric underfloor systems and the pros and cons of each.

At the front of my mind all the time would be the strategic and social issues: what is good for the national energy system and what is good for individuals and the community, especially in terms of running costs, avoidance of damp and mould growth and impact on health.

And so it goes on. No simple answer. Of course, I could simply leave it at that “they can be good in some circumstances but not in others”, which sounds deeply unsatisfactory to me. Essentially, I like to be able to provide as much information as I can, pointing out where there are gaps in my knowledge, leaving the person asking the question considerably more confident in answering the question themselves – and perhaps aiding in a small way a major purchase decision.

This aspect of my personality works for any issue that might be raised in a conversation. The general and the particular, the personal and the strategic. What are your thoughts on the conflict in the middle-east? What do you think about food prices? Should I buy the new iPhone? There is no simple answer to any of these questions – or at least a sensible and useful one – and providing meaningful answers requires time and consideration and, in my case, constant mental checking of the facts because I would be mortified if I told somebody something which turned out to be false or misleading.

At the end of the day these examples are just conversations in pubs, but why should they not be meaningful? Asking questions is a good thing, whether the motive is to gain knowledge, gather data or information, or simply to help make a decision – in this case whether or not to invest money in an expensive home technology. We engage in conversation because we want to learn and to empathise. The more people we talk to and the more we evaluate the more likely we are to make better decisions or to form better opinions. And not just in pubs. I just like pubs. And I happen to like being asked questions, so why not mix the two…

7th. October 2024
Newton Abbot, Devon, 09:44, 14ºC, blue sky, extensive cloud, light breeze, light rain showers.