Get honest information in a one-on-one
When to use
You want a genuine read on how someone is doing, not the polished version.
What you'll get
Four or five questions likely to produce candid answers, each with a brief explanation of why it works better than the obvious version.
The prompt
I'm preparing a one-on-one with [PERSON'S ROLE]. What I actually want to understand: [WHAT YOU GENUINELY WANT TO KNOW — e.g., whether they're burned out, whether there's team conflict, how they really feel about a recent change].
Relevant context: [RECENT CONTEXT — reorganisation, difficult project, leadership change, etc.].
The challenge: people tell managers what feels safe, not necessarily what's true. This is worse when there's a power gap, when honesty has caused problems before, or when the topic feels politically sensitive.
Give me 4-5 questions more likely to get a candid response than the obvious versions. For each, briefly explain what makes it safer to answer — whether that's how it's framed, what it doesn't imply, or why it lowers the social risk of answering truthfully.Why this prompt works
The explanation of why each question works also helps the manager ask it in the right tone, which matters as much as the words themselves.
The psychology behind this
Psychological Safety
Read the full experiment →54_psychological_safety.mdThe Conformity Effect
Read the full experiment →11_asch_conformity.md