Guide
Asking better questions of a video.
The quality of an answer depends heavily on the question. A precise question points to a specific passage; a vague one gets a vague reply.
Ask about one idea at a time
“What is this video about and what did they say about costs and who was the guest?” contains three questions. Split them. Each one can then be matched to a different part of the video and checked separately.
Start broad to get oriented, then narrow. A follow-up such as “What reasons are given for that decision?” works best after you know which decision is being discussed.
Be specific about what you want
| Weak question | Stronger question |
|---|---|
| Tell me everything. | What are the three main recommendations, in order? |
| Is this good? | What evidence does the speaker give for the claim that costs fall? |
| What about the budget? | How does the speaker say the budget changed from last year? |
Ask what the speech can answer
A transcript contains what was said. Questions about the speaker’s tone, about what appeared on a slide, or about facts the video never mentions cannot be answered reliably from it. If the answer depends on something visual, watch that section.
Likewise, opinion questions such as “Is the speaker right?” need your own judgement. Ask instead what reasons and evidence the speaker offers, then evaluate them yourself.
Check the answer against the source
Even a good answer can contain a mistake, particularly with numbers, names, and quotations. Follow the timestamp, listen to the passage, and confirm. If the answer and the video disagree, trust the video.
Try it on a video you have permission to process and practice with a talk you know well, so you can judge how the answers compare to what you remember.