Below is a real life example of why you should talk about the problem, not your proposed solution.
Last week, my friend Jay texted and asked me if I was going to be around Saturday afternoon.
I could have simply replied “Nope” and ended the conversation there, I was going to be out of town after all.
Instead, I said “Nope, what’s going on?”. I asked him what he needed.
He explained that there was an AirBnB guest coming and that he was hoping that because I lived nearby that I could give the guests his keys.
Because I was able to understand the problem, I was able to suggest a solution that didn’t involve me being there at all. I have a lockbox for my AirBnB guests that was available for him to use instead.
I saved him time running around trying to find someone else to provide keys, and his guest was able to get in without a problem.
This may seem like a simple story, but it’s a great example of how talking about the problem leads to a better solution that proposing the solution from the get go.
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