It's not about efficiency or anything for me. It's about courtesy. For instance, if you're moving and you want to ask a friend to help you out, the right way to

It's not about efficiency or anything for me. It's about courtesy. For instance, if you're moving and you want to ask a friend to help you out, the right way to do so is "Hey, man, I'm moving this Saturday to the Mission. Can you help me out?" The wrong way is "Hey, can you do me a favour?" or "Hey, what are you doing this weekend? Oh you're free?" And then going with things. It's the same way with everything else. If you have a question, give them a chance to not answer it. "Can I ask you a question?" is a trap on question complexity because the answer is always "depends". It's okay if they can't answer the question you have. You can just copy-paste it. Also, always ask in public channels unless it's sensitive. That way everyone learns. If you priorize your conversation partners this behaviour is easy and natural. If you're prioritizing yourself (don't want to repeat the question, don't want to be seen as not knowing the answer, etc.) this behaviour doesn't seem obvious.