“At the end of a business meeting or a conversation, before splitting up, it can be useful to ask for one person to summarize in their own words what you all just agreed to.
If you’re formulaic about this, it can come across as patronizing. Weren’t you listening?
But if you explain why you’re asking and show you respect the other person, it typically lands well.
Here are a few approaches:
- THE SAME PAGE: “Before we break I want to make sure we’re clear on who’s doing what. Would you mind summarizing what you’re going to do before Friday?”
- MOST IMPORTANT: “We’ve talked about a lot here. Would you mind summarizing the 2-3 most important points before we end?”
- BIGGEST WATCH-OUTS: “What do you think are the biggest risks/watch-outs as you dive into this?”
Asking questions like this can save hours of re-work later.
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