Use the following sentence starters to help you identify Probes that may be useful in your next negotiation situation.
Example Probe starters:
- Why?
- Why not?
- Why do you believe . . .?
- Why do you think we cannot/won’t/shouldn’t…?
- What do you think we can…?
- Who can help here?
- How could that. . .?
- How can we meet your concerns?
- What is your reasoning behind that?
- What if we. . .?
- What are your expectations?
- Why does that policy exist?
- What do you suggest would be the next steps?
Take Probing to a more strategic level
To ensure you are more collaborative and less confrontational with your questioning, see yourself using probing to:
- Challenge yourself to look at solutions from a different point of view
- Stay in the state of curiosity longer to sort out where others are coming from
- Probe deeper into motivations, perspectives, real interests, experiences
- Bring the unspeakable question to the surface
- Challenge the status quo to move the conversation to the next level
- Create mutually beneficial options
- Build on what is being said and take it one or two steps further
- Engage with people at a deeper level