A tiny influence habit with big impact

I have a persuasion habit for you today that’s almost embarrassingly simple.

Full credit goes to Brian Ahern, whose work builds on Robert Cialdini’s science of ethical influence.

His tip is simply this: Ask one more question, right at the end of your email or conversation.

Questions like:

‘Does that help?’

‘Is that what you were looking for?’

‘Anything else you need from me?’

You might think: ‘Why bother? Listen, Kim, I already write “Let me know if you have any questions” at the end of every email. Surely that does the job?’

Well, dear innocent reader, let me tell you why a question is going to be a game changer for you:

1. It kills misunderstandings early on

A question is harder to ignore than a statement. It invites people to raise grievances or concerns straight away, instead of stashing them away for later.

2. It activates reciprocity

When you help someone and then ask a closing question, you gently surface the fact that you’ve helped – without bragging.

In busy organisations, help is easily forgotten. That one extra question makes your contribution really hit home. And once it registers, the theory of reciprocity kicks in. People are more likely to:

• appreciate your input

• respond warmly

• help you in return

This is especially powerful when you’re influencing sideways, not relying on hierarchy.

3. You get better responses

Instead of the flat, transactional ‘Thanks’, you tend to get replies like:

‘That’s super helpful, thank you.’

‘Yes, that makes total sense. Really appreciate this quick response.’

‘Perfect - thanks for taking the time to put this together for me.’

These enthusiastic responses build trust, likeability and authority – all the things you need if you want your advice to land.

(And boy do they come in handy when it’s appraisal time and your boss is cc’ed on happy messages from clients or senior stakeholders...)

So give that extra question a try this week and let me know how you get on.

Is there anything else you need from me? 😉