Inexperienced or naive questions sound like this: “Hello! [Insert life story.] What should I do?” or “I’m thinking about [action]. What do you think?” They don’t include context necessary for the recipient to answer the question. They implicitly transfer responsibility for the End Result from the questioner to the recipient
Asking for Information
Be specific about the information you are looking to obtain
- Give context by referencing why you are contacting them and how you found their contact information.
- Make it easy for the recipient to refer you to the best resource as quickly as possible.
Asking for Agreement
Keys for asking for agreement
- Use this question to get important decisions or agreements in writing
- Spell out the decision in as much detail as possible
- “Agreed?” leaves room for recipients to voice disagreement without equivocating in your description of the original decision conversation
Asking for Advice
Be clear and precise about what you are trying to achieve
- Include any known tradeoffs
- Make it clear you are asking for advice or perspective, not for the recipient to decide for you
- Give the recipient an easy out – you’re asking for a favor
Asking for Clarification
Include a short summary of the topic for context.
- “It sounds like…” leaves room for clarification without being confrontational. – “Is that correct?” is clear, concise, direct, and polite
- Is that correct, A, B, or something similar?
Asking for Help
Be clear and precise about what you are trying to do
- Give context by including what you’ve tried so far
- Make it clear that you are doing your own work and not asking the recipient to solve your problems
- “Any guidance?” makes the recipient the expert
