How to Get Your Colleagues On Board with Your Idea by asking good Questions (Nr. 311)

Question 1

What question to ask, When someone resists your idea or view but doesn’t tell you why.

Answer 1

• How is this idea landing with you, truly?
• What are your reactions to what I’m proposing?
• What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this idea?_
• What potential downsides am I overlooking?

Question 2

What question to ask, When you believe the other_person_is the problem (as opposed to your idea).

Answer 2

• Tell me more about your concerns…
• What are some examples of the risks you’re worried about?
• Can you share a story about when you’ve seen things like this go wrong in the past?

Question 3

What question to ask, When the conversation is too tense to be productive.

Answer 3

Before we go on, let me just check…I hear you saying that you believe ____ for ____ reason. Is that right?
- It sounds like your biggest concern is _____. Am I understanding that correctly?
- I’m gathering that you think the best way forward is _____ because _____. How close is that to what you’re thinking?

Question 4

What question to ask, When their response to your idea puts you in a bind.

Answer 4

• If we don’t do what I’m suggesting — or find some better alternative — I worry that we’ll run out of time and resources. How would you approach this dilemma?
• Might there be other ways of looking at this beyond what I__’m considering?
• If you were in my shoes, how might you navigate through this challenge?