elicit a clear response is to ask a closed-ended question.
Is it yes or no?
It's decision time.
I've got to give this evangelist of small government an answer. Do I go
with him on this next adventure or do I spend the rest of my life on a thin
diet of Pablum?
“Yes, yes. I'm with you all the way, Dick.”
What if Cornuelle had made a statement such as: “I would like you to
consider joining me on this new venture.” Or asked the question, “What do
you think about the possibility of working on this new program?” Or
something of the sort. That would have led to a pleasant discussion but to
no decisive action.
That's not what he wanted. He wanted “Is it yes or no?” This is why a
closed-ended question is precisely right in certain situations.
His life was a triumph. We enjoy in this country the painstaking, hands-on
work, in thought and deed, of the sector to which Cornuelle affixed the
proud adjective, “independent.”
When you want a clear, unequivocal answer, ask an unequivocal,
closed-ended question. Ask,
“Is it a yes or a no?”
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