Avoid the “Soft Yes” ( persuasive skills )

 Thu 10 Oct 2013

Avoid the “Soft Yes” ( persuasive skills )

Saving “the ask” for the end of a presentation increases your risk of encountering the “soft yes.” This happens when executives get jazzed about a strategy, nod their head vigorously in support of it, but stop short of committing real resources. 

 

Avoid this scenario by making your resource request clear early — within the first 10 minutes of your meeting. Be specific. Then lay out the logic for the request and detail the metrics that leadership can monitor as they watch their investment.

 End your meeting by repeating the resource request. If you obtain verbal agreement, send a written summary to stakeholders to nail it down.

 Being clear in intent, consistent in your explanations, and persistent in getting formal agreement can ensure that you get the resources you need when you need them.

Adapted from “Avoiding the Soft "Yes,"” by Scott Anthony.