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May 02, 2005

Yes, But, So

Recently, we've been doing a lot of analysis of the landscape, in venture, in technology, etc. We've also been seeing a lot of pitches of course. And in each one we keep coming back to this simple formula for both assesing the situation and making your case for the right action in the situation.

We've talked about the ABCs of situation analysis a lot already in this blog. But we have not walked through the analog formula we use all the time for translating this assessment into a compelling arguement or case - no matter what the topic. We call this method Yes, But, So, and boy have we been using this a lot lately.

So here it is "Yes, But, So" excerpted, paraphrased from Chapter 13 of our book...

For people to buy into what you are proposing, they need to understand the rationale behind it. The “Yes, But, So” approach offers a simple formula for making this clear in three sentences that acknowledge the situation, challenge the status quo, and propose an alternative.

To prevent yourself from getting lost and tangled up in the minutiae in doing all this complex analysis, you followed our simple ABCs method — With A representing the summary current situation, B representing the better way or possible future, and C, the gap or path from point A to point B.

For conveying your summary case (and, in fact, for holding people’s attention when you are making just about any argument you will ever need to make), there is an equally simple method to match the ABCs.
This wondrously magical technique is called… Yes, But, So.

The Yes lets your listeners know that you’ve heard their position and you understand. But announces that you know there can be a better way. So presents your idea for how to get there. These three little words are the only ones you really need to kick off any logical argument. And they will help you keep it down to three sentences.

Yes. Of course your case starts with “Yes.” However often it's actually used, “yes” has got to be one of the most popular words in the English language. It's what we all want to hear most. And there's a reason. Finding a way to empathize, to identify with someone, is the most important starting point to any interaction. That's the purpose of the Yes in our little Yes, But, So formula. Yes shows that you understand and acknowledge the facts of the situation—market situation, customer responses and desires, competitive strengths and responses, and the immediate feedback of your audience.

But. “Yes” is not enough. Nothing does, can, or should stay the same. That's where But comes in. Only when you understand the gap between the current situation and the desired or potential situations can you make any progress. The But statement forces you into a position of being open minded, critical, taking things from a different perspective. It is questioning, challenging; it’s what keeps things fresh. In this context, But drives you to recognize the opening, the potential break in the situation, the kernel of change.

So. What’s next? It’s pretty dissatisfying to leave a conversation on a negative note, focusing on just the problems. Once you know your limitations and challenges, you have to decide what to do about them. That's what So is all about—taking all this analysis and converting it into a call to action. It's about embracing the possible. It addresses the need to find some resolution, hope, goals, or motivation in a tough situation. So is your way of taking all this analysis and hypothesizing and converting it into recommended action, into resolve, commitment. So means, “Let’s go!”

Here’s an example. We started out the section on situation analysis with the story of Henry Ford and the Model T. Behind all the momentous business and technology dynamics and historic industry forces was a very simple three-sentence case:

• Yes, cars remain the domain of elites and aficionados, not regular people.
• But, the underlying auto technology and manufacturing techniques are becoming more efficient.
• So, we should now be able to make a reliable car that the mass market can afford.

Another example updates the Ford story with similar challenges and opportunities in the modern time—the Volkswagen approach, especially when the company first relaunched with its more daring line of cars like the Jetta and the new bug.

• Yes, there are terrific, German-engineered cars available on the market for driving enthusiasts.
• But, they are very expensive and appeal only to those who can afford them .
• So, let’s offer a high performance German car for normal enthusiasts.

Sounds simple, but frankly, we think it’s profound. Why? It’s the psychology of getting someone to agree with you.

By, the way, this works great as well with kids and spouses (say "yes" first to empathize, inject "but" to begin explaining the issues and provide a "so" to suggest something positive rather than just disagreeing).

Posted by johnza at May 2, 2005 04:08 PM

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