Negotiation

The Calibrated Question: How to Make Them Solve Your Problem

11 min read

The calibrated question is a negotiation technique where you ask questions designed to make the other party think through your problem and propose solutions that serve your interests. Rather than making statements, demands, or proposals that trigger defensiveness and resistance, you frame your position as a question that invites the other party to solve the problem collaboratively. This works because people are psychologically more committed to solutions they generate themselves than to solutions imposed on them by others. When someone arrives at your desired outcome through their own reasoning rather than through your advocacy, they own that outcome and are...

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