{"id":23177,"date":"2021-01-12T09:31:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T13:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=23177"},"modified":"2021-01-17T14:12:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T18:12:23","slug":"what-is-a-calibrated-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-a-calibrated-question\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Calibrated Question? FBI Agent Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What is a calibrated question? Why should you ask calibrated questions in a negotiation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calibrated questions are open-ended questions that are structured to probe for more information in a negotiation. They are calibrated to prompt longer answers from your opponent and lead them to a conclusion that you want them to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to find out \u201cwhat is a calibrated question?\u201d and how to put it to work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is a Calibrated Question?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>P<strong>eople want to feel safe and in control<\/strong>. Autonomy is one of the most basic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/emotional-safety\/\">human emotional needs<\/a>. As a good negotiator, you need to give your counterpart the illusion of control and lead them to your preferred outcome (while letting them think it\u2019s <em>their<\/em> idea).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how do you make them think they\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat? By asking calibrated, open-ended  or \u201cwhat\u201d questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is a calibrated question example? If you\u2019re confronted with a price that\u2019s too high or an offer that\u2019s unreasonably low, respond with a simple, \u201cHow am I supposed to do that?\u201d <strong>These straightforward, yet seemingly innocuous questions can be the golden key in a negotiation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other good calibrated questions are, \u201cHow can we solve this problem?\u201d or \u201cWhat about this is important to you?\u201d or \u201cWhat are we really trying to accomplish here?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calibrated questions prompt longer answers, which reveal key information. <strong>Your counterpart might reveal what they <em>really <\/em>desire out of a negotiation or what a potential dealbreaker might be.<\/strong> They might also reveal the challenges they face in actually <em>delivering <\/em>on the terms you\u2019re negotiating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C<strong>alibrated questions put your counterpart to work helping <em>you.<\/em><\/strong><em> <\/em>You\u2019re putting the other person in a position where they\u2019re providing solutions to your problems. In doing so, you\u2019re leading them along to the conclusion that you want them to reach: all the while, convincing them that your desired solution is <em>their <\/em>idea. This also helps with the implementation of the decision. Your counterpart will buy into it and commit to it because they\u2019ll think they came up with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Staying Out of Their Debt<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, a calibrated question is a debt-free question. <strong>Straight requests for information can lead to an unproductive tit-for-tat dynamic, where the other side expects reciprocity<\/strong>. \u201cI gave you something, now you give <em>me<\/em> something.\u201d Calibrated questions free you from this trap, because they come across as natural, normal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-to-keep-a-conversation-going\/\">conversational questions<\/a>: not requests for information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A straight request for information is something that can either be answered with a simple \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d or just a simple, minimal response. Questions like, \u201cDoes this apartment have a washer-dryer?\u201d or \u201cWhen were the windows in this apartment last cleaned?\u201d yield nothing beyond the literal information requested. You\u2019re not putting your counterpart to work for you and <strong>you\u2019re setting up the expectation that you\u2019ll pay them back with information of your own<\/strong>. And if your counterpart is good, they\u2019ll ask for information that\u2019s highly valuable to you.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a calibrated question? Why should you ask calibrated questions in a negotiation? Calibrated questions are open-ended questions that are structured to probe for more information in a negotiation. They are calibrated to prompt longer answers from your opponent and lead them to a conclusion that you want them to reach. Keep reading to find out \u201cwhat is a calibrated question?\u201d and how to put it to work for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[185],"class_list":["post-23177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","tag-never-split-the-difference","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is a Calibrated Question? FBI Agent Explains - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a calibrated question? 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