Daniel Pink
Host of the “The Pinkcast”

Most of us have had the experience of being in a meeting (or leading one) when the leader asked, “Any questions?” Most of us either had questions, or were sure others, did but no one said anything because it didn’t feel safe. Nobody want to take the risk of being seen as the person who didn’t “get it.”

For leaders to lead, we must create that safety. Dan Pink, author of “The Power of Regret” and “To Sell is Human” offers an interesting way to do this by turning the “Any Questions?” problem on its head to encourage meeting participants to feel safe in asking questions, pursuing understanding, unlocking discussion, and enhancing the contributions of the group.   

Check out this 3 min 21 sec video from Mr. Pink’s “Pinkcast” with a college professor who discovered that the silence he got from asking his students if they had “any questions?” meant that they surely did.  He shares with Mr. Pink a simple way “to flip your language to create psychological safety.