Maximizing Performance Through Applied Common Sense*

Tie downs are very under-utilized skills that allow people to feel good about their judgment or their taste. They are close-ended questions that are a form of “that is true, isn’t it?” Or “that is true, yes.” What you want to do is listen to the person to see what they have to say. Suppose they say, “This is really very important to me.” How you would respond is, “that is important, isn’t it?” If you agree with what someone says, and you remind them of their good taste or good judgment by saying some form of “that is true, isn’t it?” then you are going to get them to say “yes.” So remind people of their good taste with a tie-down and you’ll get better results.