Hi there,
Closed-ended questions are designed to be simple.
Yet we often overcomplicate them by burying the lead. ⛏️
Simple, clear answers to closed-ended questions will empower your stakeholders to move quickly with momentum.
P.S. We’ll be off next week + back on Thursday 6/5!
⚡ Supercharge of the Week
Remote Octopus recommends clearly providing yes, no, or unsure replies when answering questions from stakeholders.
Many complex questions we encounter at work are open-ended:
Which new feature will resonate most with customers?
How might we solve this challenge?
But often we run into questions that are closed-ended meaning they can be answered with a quick reply in 1-2 words. Yes/no questions are closed-ended questions.
😵💫 Answering closed-ended questions is often harder than it seems. We want to provide context to our answer or we end up replying in streams of consciousness or we are working too quickly to notice how simply the question can be answered.
We bury the lead.
❌ BURYING THE LEAD IN ACTION
Raj: Will the design doc be ready for Friday’s call?
You: Legal has been challenging to get a hold of so I’m still waiting on confirmation and our point person for the MLE team is on vacation until tomorrow. So I’m not really sure but I’m hoping Legal can confirm by end of day.
… It sounds like maybe the answer to Raj’s question is unsure? But it’s hard to decipher. And definitely harder to read all of that quickly.
When replying to a closed-ended question, focus the first word of your reply on answering the stakeholder’s question:
Yes
No
Unsure
EXAMPLE IN ACTION
Maria: Is the bug you just identified a launch blocker?
You: No. And here’s why…
EXAMPLE IN ACTION
Raj: Will the design doc be ready for Friday’s call?
You: Unsure. And here’s why…
👀 ICYMI
🐙 Remote Octopus Resources
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