A while back I wrote to you about the dangers of asking for feedback.

Not the idea of getting feedback (it’s generally a positive unless you’re asking ‘Does my bum look big in this?’). 

No, I mean the dangers of the word ‘feedback’.

Why? It’s overused and low-status.

I recommended you ask for someone’s advice or opinion instead (higher status, more flattering).  Studies also show people think more highly of us when we ask for their advice, so it’s a win-win.

But let’s not stop there.

Robert Cialdini (you’ve heard me talk about this godfather of influence before) goes one step further.

He makes an important distinction based on his research.

Asking for an ‘opinion’, he says, invites critique, often negative.  So we might ask for an opinion if we want someone’s honest thoughts, for example in a survey.

But if we ask for ‘advice’, we’re more likely to get a positive response. 

So, if your report has been through 837 rounds of edits, and you just want to get the darn thing signed off, ask for advice not opinions.

It’s a simple tweak that might just save your weekend.  You’re welcome.