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answer. Do you smirk at what you consider inadequate answers? Glance away as if other things are more important at the moment? Ask dumb follow-up questions that indicate you weren't listening to the first answer? If so, tell your body that you're interested in the answer to the question your mouth just asked. |
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Tip 478: Remember that wording makes a great deal of difference in the answer you get. |
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Official pollsters will be the first to point out that the wording of questions is extremely important in survey results. For example, multiple-choice questions that mention alternatives will elicit more people who agree with the alternatives than questions that do not suggest alternatives at all. "Knowledge" questions get fewer responses than opinion questions. Positively worded questions generate more positive responses than negatively worded questions. |
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If the question you intend to ask is an important one, take great care in how you word it. If you don't have time to read body language and rephrase it on the spot, write out your question and practice it before you get an audience with the decision maker or other person who holds the key to your future. |
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Tip 479: Don't give overlapping alternatives. |
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If you want to walk away with a clear understanding about expected action, avoid ambiguous questions with "and/or" and "both/and" implications. For example, in a staff meeting a manager poses this question: ''Do you think the team is moving along all right in drafting the new procedures, or do you think we should look into hiring a consultant for analyzing and drafting some of our processes?" It is entirely possible that some people in the staff meeting could answer, "The team is doing well and, yes, it would be a good idea to hire an outside consultant." More than likely, however, the staff members will take one or the other of the alternatives posed in the question: either that the team is doing well enough alone or that the team needs input from the consultant. If the staffers mention hiring the consultant, the manager may gather the impression that they think the team isn't handling the task well. That would be a wrong conclusion drawn from such a response. |
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Another example: "Do you want to go to Hawaii for the sales meeting, or would you enjoy something closer in Canada?" The answer could be, "I'd love to go to Hawaii and, yes, I'd enjoy a shorter trip to Canada." If the person answers, "Hawaii sounds great," that doesn't necessarily mean Canada |
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