In a Salesforce discovery session with a client, someone is bound to share some stupid ideas.
It’s not that the person is dumb, it’s usually the idea they are communicating just doesn’t fit in the current context.
Rather than point out how weird that idea is, here’s a tip from improvisational comedy: Say, “Yes, and …” and then redirect the conversation to something else.
This concept is powerful for multiple reasons:
- It encourages a space of cooperation, rather than competition.
- Instead of people dwell on the inappropriate idea, it shifts the focus to where you want to be
- It makes people feel like you’re in control of the situation, and even has undertones of confidence
- It’s significantly better than saying, “Wow, now that’s a dumb idea! Does anyone else have anything genius to say?”
OK, perhaps the last one isn’t something you’d actually say, but you get the point.
Here’s an example:
- Client: “Hey, how about we build a custom object called ‘Company’?”
- You: “Yes, and I can see why that may seem like a good idea from a certain perspective. Perhaps we could just rename the Account object to Company and achieve what you had in mind. What do you think?”
The takeaway
Use “Yes, and …” to not disagree with the other person’s point-of-view, seem like you’re building on the idea, and then shift the conversation to a better one.
Category:
Communication