4 ms·
On the flip side of Mark's point, it seems that free-form questions are a great opportunity for the answerer to steer the course of the rest of the conversation
by awolf 16y ago
On the flip side of Mark's point, it seems that free-form questions are a great opportunity for the answerer to steer the course of the rest of the conversation.
Next time I'm going into an important meeting like the ones Mark describes in his post I'll make sure to give some thought to how I want to answer these wide questions. I'll make sure my long winded free-form answers plant the right "nuggets" so that when the they start to drill down they are asking the questions I want to answer.
- msuster 16y agoMostly if you're doing the asking and you don't hear what you want you need a plan anyways for what you'll drill down on. If you don't go into the meeting with a pre-planned agenda you're unlikely to achieve objectives.
- skmurphy 16y agoWhy not just give the answers you want to give if they are free form questions? Mark's point is that the person who is talking is not learning anything. If discovering more about the other party's needs, constraints, and objectives is your goal then you have to ask questions (and listen (patiently)), not answer them.