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I have a background in research, and moving to the United States I’ve had some situations where I’ve coached people in a team who’ve never directly talked to their customers. Something I always have to do with Americans is to practice getting them comfortable with silence.

A tip I stole from someone else (can’t remember who otherwise I’d credit) when asking a question in research interview is to stay silent until you’re feeling uncomfortable, and then count slowly another 3 seconds before asking a follow up prompt.

The majority of the time, people do have useful things to say if you are willing to give them the space to speak.




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