The Ask the Better Question® Blog
The Process of Commitment

If You Only Had 5 Minutes…
“If you only had 5 minutes with a stakeholder, what question would you ask?”
I was asked this question while virtually coaching one of several technical development teams for a high-tech organization. “We often bring them our idea or prototype,” the team members explained, “and we often walk away with a list of 100 more questions that the stakeholder wants answered. How can we find out what is important to them?”

Build the Conversational Bridge
When you are trying to get someone to buy your idea or support your initiative, how do you begin?
If you follow prevailing theory, you start with a pitch about how your product, idea, or initiative is just perfect. You detail the merits and describe the wizardry, all the while believing such phrasing will sway your subject to embrace the wisdom of your initiative.
But they don’t get it!! You feel surprised by their lack of instant enthusiasm, knocking the wind out of your pitch and leaving you wondering what could possibly be wrong.

Blind Trust: Techniques for Working in the Virtual World

Enhanced Engagement Techniques
