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How to Maximize Communication Time

Ethel Cook

Have you ever seen yourself as Sherlock Holmes ferreting out a trail of clues; combating the non-responsive manager (is his name Moriarity?); and wishing for a competent Watson by your side? Well, I have met Watson. His alter ego is Good Communication Skills. Here are the tools that he uses.

The Detectives Primary Arsenal -- Questions

Every good detective starts with six key questions -- the five Ws and an H: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Or: Who knows the answer? What is the procedure? What are the consequences in a change to the system? When did the change happen? Where can the data be found? Why is this procedure done this way? How are the data gathered?

The type of question you ask influences the response you get. Choose the type of question that you ask carefully. Here are eight questioning techniques:

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