Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to invite a yes, not a no. While
Speaker 1: this might seem like a small thing, phrasing your questions
Speaker 1: so that people who agree with you can answer yes
Speaker 1: makes for clearer conversations. It creates a tone of positivity too.
Speaker 1: People often ask each other do you mind if would
Speaker 1: it be too much trouble if I We generally assume
Speaker 1: that phrasing questions this way is more polite than asking
Speaker 1: in different ways. But the problem is that if you
Speaker 1: ask questions this way, if someone agrees with you, the
Speaker 1: correct response as actually no, as in no, I do
Speaker 1: not mind if you turn down the heat, or no
Speaker 1: it would not be too much trouble for me to
Speaker 1: keep your kid at my house for an extra fifteen
Speaker 1: minutes since you got stuck in traffic. As you can imagine,
Speaker 1: when a no answer is affirmative, this is confusing. People
Speaker 1: might say yes naturally to indicate they agree, and then
Speaker 1: you have to figure out what they meant, as in
Speaker 1: yes they mind or yes it's okay. When people are
Speaker 1: thinking about this problem, they often answer sure, that's fine
Speaker 1: to indicate their affirmation, but all of that is extra
Speaker 1: mental work. It is clearer to phrase your question so
Speaker 1: that an answer of yes affirms that your plan is
Speaker 1: indeed okay, all right with you? If I turned down
Speaker 1: the heat, an answer of yes or sure means that
Speaker 1: your companion is fine with your chaining the thermostat. Inviting
Speaker 1: a guess is mentally easier, but it also avoids needlessly
Speaker 1: introducing the negative. It feels better to say and hear yes.
Speaker 1: That is true and general in life. So why not
Speaker 1: rephrase your questions so that the answer indicating agreement with
Speaker 1: your plan is positively phrased? All right? If I open
Speaker 1: the sun roof, could I look over your shoulder to
Speaker 1: see the agenda? Does it work for you? If I
Speaker 1: hop in the shower, now okay with you? If we
Speaker 1: eat dinner outside, If what you have proposed is all right,
Speaker 1: your companion can say yes or sure or some other
Speaker 1: positive response, and all is good. You just need to
Speaker 1: be attuned to the answer you are eliciting. It's a
Speaker 1: little thing, sure, but it does make life a little
Speaker 1: bit better in the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.