When you’re trying to get agreement on something, a good technique is to ask direct, closed questions. Those are questions that can be answered in one word or phrase — preferably yes! Here’s how to craft the questions.

Instead of Now that you have reviewed the contract, please confirm that we can now send it to the purchaser for signature.

Try May we send the contract to the purchaser for signature now?

Instead of I will find out if this process works with a small team like ours so that you can consider trying it.

Try If we can be sure this process works with a small team like ours, will you try it?

We humans find it impossible not to answer a direct question, even if only in our own heads. That’s true, isn’t it? See — you answered my question, didn’t you? See, you did it again! That’s why questions are so powerful.

If you use the direct question approach, the other person must answer in his or her own head and is quite likely to give you the answer too. If you are frustrated by decisions delayed because you can’t get a straight answer from someone, try the direct question approach. You won’t always get the answer you want, but at least you’ll have a decision.

By the way, the first Wilkie Webinar was a great success, with all the feedback being positive. Stay tuned for news of the February webinar, “Helen’s 9 Rules for Excellent Email Etiquette.”