As I work with faculty who are new to the classroom, I often hear the concern about what to do when students are reluctant to answer questions. While sometimes this can be an indicator that the students are indeed "lost", more often it is just a case of their being concerned about giving the wrong answer.Here are some hints that I use: First…whenever possible, try to think of questions that might have more than one acceptable answer. For example, ask students to make a list (“What factors do we have to bear in mind when…?”) or think back on their own experiences (When have you seen examples of…?) or think of their own questions (“Thinking back on the last 15 to 20 minutes of this lecture, what do you find hardest to understand and why?”) Second…give students a few minutes to write down their thoughts and discuss them with their neighbors (three or four students sitting closest to them). The average time an instructor waits after asking a question is only five (5) seconds. This step allows the instructor to give the students much more time without it seeming like an eternity. Three…then ask for a number of groups to report. Students find it much easier to report on a short discussion than to risk being wrong as an individual.