People skills++

They force a narrow answer. They leave less room to explain what’s really going on. And they make it easy to deflect rather than open up.

Open questions do the opposite. They give people space to think and respond in their own words. They invite honesty, reflection and detail.

Try asking:

👉 “What’s bothering you?” (instead of “Is something wrong?”)
👉 “How are you feeling?” (instead of “You OK now?”)
👉 “What caused this?” (instead of “Did something cause this?”)

If you want the truth, ask better questions. Then stop talking.

And that’s when the real answers come.

When you’re presenting or saying something important, your first words matter the most. 

They need to grab attention. Surprise people, make them curious, give them a reason to care.

Once they’re listening, you can say whatever you like.

But if they tune out at the start, you won’t get them back.

Grab attention early. Make them look up. Then deliver something worth hearing.

Start with a bang. Then make it count.