When offering others a choice, it is both natural and expected to give people the option of acceptance or rejection. Most commonly, this means giving others the choice between yes or no.
“Would you like to go to dinner?” is a prime example. As is, “Would like to try one of these?” Leaders who offer others a choice between yes and no will experience an awful lot of nos.
Before experiencing so much rejection, consider instead offering others a choice between two yeses. “Would you like to go to dinner Monday night or Wednesday night?” gives the listener two positive choices. They can still decline the invitation, of course, but it is less likely when the choice is between two yeses, as opposed to a yes or a no. “Would you like to try the small one or the big one?” encourages others to dive in and take a chance.
Giving people a choice between two yeses doesn’t constrain them in any way, but it does make them actively reject the options offered and raise the negative as their response. Leaders who train themselves to offer others two yeses find more people comply. This gambit is all about suggestion, as two yeses initially rebuff the likelihood the person wants to decline.
Give others the power to say “yes,” and stop encouraging people to tell you “no.” Getting others to say “yes” is always more fun.
