Writing
RoQ
date
May 23, 2023
slug
roq
author
status
Public
tags
Corporate Culture
Communication
summary
Reason of Question
type
Post
thumbnail
updatedAt
Apr 7, 2024 01:50 PM
categories
Writing
Language
Have you experienced a situation where you want to ask a question but hesitate to do so for fear of looking bad or rude? Here is the expression for you: RoQ
RoQ is an abbreviation of ‘Reason of Question’. It is the expression that was normally used in my last company Deer. I heard that the expression has spread to other groups, like Naver Clova.
Why is this expression useful?
How would you phrase it when you want to ask a question that you received? Maybe you would say “Why did you ask that?”. Or, if you wanted to add a polite nuance, you might say “Could I ask why you're interested?”, “May I know the context for your question?”. Or, you might try to find an appropriate answer without the context of the question.
We realized there was a communication pain point. The expressions used so far can include some potentially rude or offensive nuance. And they are also too long. The last option, “trying to find an appropriate answer without the context” wastes unnecessay resources.
Now, RoQ can solve these problems. Because RoQ is a kind of agreed-upon expression in a group, we can remove the rude nuance in our expressions. And it’s even short! I will provide a use case example for you.
Use Case
You are a team leader of a new project. Your team launched a new service yesterday. This morning, you find a message from the CEO.
I heard your service launched yesterday. Is it going well?
Now, your heart starts beating rapidly and you think..
Should I find some data or an indicator? There are sixty new users who registered yesterday. Does it mean “it’s going well”? There haven’t been any service failures or unexpected accidents until now. Does it mean “It’s going well”?
and you prepare some indicators and send them to the CEO. But actually the CEO is thinking..
This morning’s breakfast was delicious. Ah! I remember that yesterday was the opening day of our new service. Friday is the meeting day so I can ask for some data or indicators from the team leader. But, I’m just curious about the service.
He didn’t need any indicators or data. “Yes 😀 it is going well!” or “There are some problems but it doesn’t matter” would have been enough. Now, let’s see the conversation with RoQ.
I heard your service launched yesterday. Is it going well?
RoQ?
Just curious, nothing important 😃
Yes, it is going well~
Extra Profit: Nudging
I think using an agreed-upon expression for “asking about a received question” can work as a nudge. It can be interpreted to mean, “You shouldn’t hesitate to ask about questions you’ve received. Our company and your teammates consider it a good communication method for establishing the same context.”
Conclusion
RoQ is a very useful expression for effective communication. I might even try to spread it when I join a new company.