Maximizing Performance Through Applied Common Sense*

When you ask people a close-ended question you are likely to get a “yes” or a “no” answer.  The key is to position the question so that you get a “yes” most of the time.  It’s called getting the person in the direction of “yes.”  If you think through how you want to ask the question, and you think that you want to get a “yes,” then you want to position your question accordingly.  More than half the time, if you fail to be careful, you are going to get a “no” answer, and the more “no’s” creates more resistance.  So if you want to persuade anyone to do anything, think through how you ask the question.  Ask the question so that you are more than likely to get a “yes.”  For example, “Does that make sense?  Well, of course that makes sense!”  That’s the way it works.