A scripted response to a stakeholder's disagreement, from Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel (Align): acknowledge the disagreement, invite the person to fully explain their view, assume good faith and a shared underlying goal, then trace back through repeated "why" questions (Five Levels of Why) to find the root of the divergence — only then explain your own reasoning, if the final call is yours.
"I hear that you disagree, tell me all about it, I want to understand."
The order matters: listening and why-laddering come before your own explanation, not after. Explaining first turns the conversation into a defense of a decision instead of an investigation of the disagreement, leaving the other side unheard even if you were right.
Из тем: Stakeholder Power and Trust