Tackling tumbleweeds

Don’t hit them with “Any questions?” right away. You’ve just announced big changes, and people’s minds are racing, working out what it all means. They may even be in “fight or flight” mode, so you could get aggressive disagreement (fight), or silence (flight).

Instead, ask them to write a few notes on what they’re thinking, which gives them time to marshal their thoughts.

Then invite them to talk with the person sitting next to them about what they’ve written down. This helps externalise and consolidate their thinking, and build confidence.

After a few minutes, ask the room, “What questions do you have?” (Note that “Any questions?” is a closed, yes-or-no question.)

Be prepared for a tsunami of questions and comments. It works for me every time.

One more thing, answer succinctly and move on. If you ramble on for ages, other people will not ask their question.

This is a feedback technique, essential to delegation.