Vervago recently worked with a young CEO—we'll call her Ramona—whose technology startup company had failed. We suggested that after the standard technology post mortems and business analyses were over, Ramona could benefit from an additional review, this one completely personal. We asked her to work her way through some of the slide decks that had provided foundations for key decisions, asking herself in relation to each: "What questions did I ask?" "What questions didn't I ask?" "Was my style … [Read more...]
Precision Answering
Giving bullet-point answers in response to list questions
The challenge of Precision Answering is to think before we speak so that we can structure what we say. As a result of this structuring we communicate more effectively and our credibility is higher. Learning to give bullet-point answers is classic Precision Answering, forcing us to become more disciplined in how we think and how we communicate. … [Read more...]
Sharpening your answering skills
In the Precision Questioning workshop we often describe PQ as a way of learning how to get the question out of our mind and into our mouth. The challenge is making this happen at the speed of discussion. If we are too slow to formulate our question, then the opportunity is lost, or we end up asking a question that is poorly formulated. … [Read more...]
Using Precision Answering in Email
Answering email creates endless opportunities for building skill at Precision Answering. Email is easier to edit than speech, so before you press that "Send" key, pause for a half-second. Re-read the question they asked, re-read the answer you gave, and then ask yourself: Have I been clear? Crisp? Concise? … [Read more...]