THE TOOLKIT
Yes/No (True or False)

YES/NO questions, known as True/False in school, are those types of questions that can easily be answered with a “yes” or “no” response. The challenge is that most questions don’t feel as if they should elicit a simple yes/no answer. Why? Because we feel as if we need to explain ourselves. Depending upon how we look at the question being asked, in some situations the answer may be “yes” but in others its “no.” That’s fine. However, the recommendation is to begin with either the direct “yes” or “no” and then qualify.

For instance, you are talking to your boss about availability for an upcoming engagement or project, and she stops you mid-sentence and asks,

“Will you be able to get with Gail and complete the final analysis by Friday?”

This is one of those answers that may go either way. Perhaps you intend to finish it by Friday, but there are mitigating circumstances including travel, meetings, and phone calls that could cause you to miss the Friday deadline. Therefore, how do you handle it? You could say,

“Yes, however, there is a possibility that we may have to push the final report to Monday because Gail and I have a lot going on this week. We’ll let you know by Wednesday if we need to extend the deadline.”

Or, you could also respond with,

“No, because Gail and I have five other items that require our attention this week; therefore, Monday is probably a safer target. However, if we complete our other priorities early, we’ll do our best to finish the analysis.”

This is one of those questions that has the potential to go either way. Which ever way you choose to answer it, you just want to first answer the question with either a “yes” or “no” and then provide a brief explanation.