Recognizing these types of interaction early is a useful skill. It does seem pretty obvious most of the time, I can tell based on the first question whether th

Recognizing these types of interaction early is a useful skill. It does seem pretty obvious most of the time, I can tell based on the first question whether the person I'm talking to is interested in a good faith discussion or not. Conversely, I try hard to exhaust all available documentation before I finally go to someone and ask for their assistance. I want them to know I'm serious, so they don't just blow me off. And when I do ask for help, I try to make it clear I'm just trying to clear a blocker to my understanding, not wasting their time.