THE TOOLKIT
Declarative Statements

Many hostile questions are actually declarative statements; therefore, they sound argumentative. People are giving you their opinions as opposed to asking for clarification on yours. Here are some examples.

• “But we can’t afford to wait!”
• “The market is ready for our new line now!”
• “I don’t think that’s the direction we should head!”

These are common objections we’ve heard, but they’re not questions. You still need to respond to them. Here are three different strategies to use to handle these declarative statements:

Diffusing Declarative Statements
Turn it into a question.	Use the “If-Then” strategy.	Use “Feel-Felt-Focus.”