Let’s say you have a client that loves to avoid commitment. This happens when the decision maker isn’t in the room or no one wants to take responsibility for approving the design.
The first symptom of this problem is that no one provides valuable feedback. They may comment on benign things, such as the Salesforce calendar picker allowing you to select a birthdate in the future.
Another symptom is hearing people say, “Well this isn’t really my area of expertise”. And you may go around the room with everyone saying something similar.
In these cases, how would you move forward?
One of the best ways I’ve come across is to start asking questions in which you want to receive a negative response.
Examples are
- “Would you have an issue if we do it this way?”
- “Are you against …”
- “Would you have a problem with… “
- “Is there anything wrong with …”
- “Do you have an objection to …”
If everyone in the room says “no” or nothing, then you know you’re good. You’ve received implicit acceptance.
Also, by phrasing the question as a negative, as it forces people to think a little deeper before answering.
The takeaway
Instead of always asking “Are you OK with this?”, and then hearing crickets, reverse your question.