---
title: Free Ask-Without-Fear Checklist | Velocity
description: "Can your team ask questions without feeling stupid? A free one-page checklist from Velocity Advisory Group: twelve checks, a score, and what to fix first."
image: https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/hubfs/Podcast%20Episodes/Podcast%20Assets%20%28Social%29/Checklists/Velocity_AG_Ask_Without_Fear_Checklist_Social.png
---

[![Velocity Advisory Group](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/00%20Brand%20Assets/Velocity%20Logo%202023%20Wide.png?width=169&height=44&name=Velocity%20Logo%202023%20Wide.png)Velocity Advisory Group](https://www.velocityadvisorygroup.com)

Free one-page checklist

# Can your team ask questions without feeling stupid?

Twelve checks in three areas. Check what is true today, score yourself from 0 to 12, and see what to fix first.

- Twelve checks across Asking, Challenge, and Leader
- A scoring guide that shows what each band means
- One page to print or share with your team

## Get the free checklist

Ask-Without-Fear Checklist · 1 page · PDF

Trusted by **800+ organizations** across **25+ industries** since 2009

## Try the first four checks

Section one is Asking: make questions safe. Tick what is already true for your team.

Which of these is already true for your team?

- Asked the team what an exceptional culture looks like
- People ask each other questions without feeling stupid
- Team members admit when they are in over their heads
- Colleagues who clash still explore what is possible

Checked**0** of 4

Be honest: a partial is an unchecked box.

Ask-Without-Fear Checklist

SECTION ONE

SECTION TWO

SECTION THREE

## What's on the page

### Asking: Make questions safe

Four checks, including: asked the team what an exceptional culture looks like.

### Challenge: Invite pushback

Four checks, including: held the critical conversations the team has avoided.

### Leader: Surface the genius

Four checks, including: paraphrase back to confirm people understood you.

### A scoring guide

Zero to four, five to eight, and nine to twelve, with what to do at each level.

[Get the checklist](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/ask-without-fear-checklist#get-it)

## Results and feedback from Velocity's leadership work

**30% to 8%**employee turnover in one yearBiopharmaceutical company

**+126%**strategic alignment liftBiopharmaceutical company

**95%**retention rate in a construction leadership programVelocity client

> “Now associates understand themselves better, and leaders have new tools to support their teams.”

Chief People and Culture Officer, healthcare products distributor

> “Velocity challenged our team and brought us together in ways that have paid immediate dividends.”

Managing Partner, accounting and advisory firm

## How scoring works

Each check is one point. Ready means 9 to 12 checks and at least 3 in every section. A high total with an empty section is a warning, not a pass.

### 0 to 4: Fear is in the room

Ask the team what keeps them from asking questions.

### 5 to 8: Open the door wider

Use your unchecked boxes to plan your next team conversation.

### 9 to 12: Safe to ask

Keep listening more than you talk.

## Pair it with the full guide

The checklist shows where you stand. The guide explains why, and what to do next.

1

### Take the checklist

Check what is true today and add up your score from 0 to 12.

2

### Read the guide

The Surfacing Test explains the thinking behind it and gives your team tools to act.

3

### Talk with Velocity

Turn your unchecked boxes into a plan with a Velocity advisor.

### Who this is for

- Teams where people stay quiet rather than ask
- Leaders who want questions raised early, not after mistakes
- Managers onboarding new hires into a fast environment
- Groups where experts and newcomers work side by side

## Find out where you stand

Get the one-page checklist and score your team in minutes.

[Get the checklist](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/ask-without-fear-checklist#get-it)

**800+**organizations led through change

**25+**industries

**2009**building momentum since

© 2026 Velocity Advisory Group.velocityadvisorygroup.com

[Get the checklist](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/ask-without-fear-checklist#get-it)