The Question
How do you create the best conditions for an authentic yes or no?
Why it Matters
An authentic yes or no from another person requires specialized conditions—an adequate understanding of the issue, freedom to answer without consequences, and the absence of forces that skew. But sometimes, we ask a question in conditions where a yes or no isn’t authentic. The other person may resent being put in an uncomfortable position or even reverse course down the line. Questions likely to elicit unauthentic responses may compromise our integrity, the other person’s integrity—or both.