Consistency is the key to mastery. In this final installment of our Communication Mastery series, we review the 3-Step "Yes/No, Reason, Example" Method with a high-impact daily drill.
Today, we tackle a hot topic for every modern professional: Virtual vs. In-Person meetings. Jennifer Tarle shows you how to use this debate to practice your "Gravitas"—layering on advanced intonation techniques like Focus Words (pitch, length, and volume) to ensure your most important points stand out.
What you will master in this review:
The 3-Step Pivot: Moving quickly from a direct answer to a supporting example.
Speech Focus: How to make your "Yes" or "No" sound commanding by adjusting your pitch.
Thinking on Your Feet: Reducing the lag time between a question and a clear, structured response.
TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro: Why "Gravitas" matters in meetings 0:55 – Strategy Review: The 3-Step Framework 1:45 – The Debate: Virtual vs. In-Person Meetings 2:37 – Advanced Layer: Intonation, Rhythm, and Focus Words 3:42 – Your Turn: 10-Second Independent Practice 4:38 – Model Response 1: The "Yes" (Efficiency focus) 5:56 – Model Response 2: The "No" (Relationship focus) 7:01 – Final Tips: Shadowing and Daily Habit Building
Are you looking to sound more clear, concise,
and confident in your communication
than you are in the right place?
I am Jennifer Tarle with Tarle Speech,
and I am super excited to announce
that I have been working on a new series
called Speak with Confidence,
the three-step response method.
I use this in my one-on-one lessons with lots of students,
and it is a very effective way to, number one,
sound more clear, confident,
and concise in your communication,
and number two, it is a great way to practice
so that when you are in a situation,
you are going to be able to respond faster
with less preparation.
We are going to start with something very, very simple.
Today, we are going to learn the three steps
to respond to a yes, no question.
So what we're going to do
is we are going to learn the strategy.
Then we are going to learn some sentence starters,
some way that you can frame your responses
so you don't have to think about it too much.
Then we are going to practice
and wrap it up with a quick review.
Join me next week because I'm going to be doing this
for four weeks in a row practicing this strategy.
All right, so let's get to it.
So here's the strategy.
Someone asks you a yes or no question.
The first thing that you are going to do
is respond with a yes or no.
That's number one.
Number two, you need to provide a reason because,
and then number three,
I want you to support it with an example.
So again, for a yes, no question, yes or no,
give the reason and then provide an example.
Many of you tell me,
just give me some things to say because it really helps.
And so I like to think of this
as reducing your cognitive load.
If you watch my videos,
you know that I tend to say things
in a very similar way in lesson to lesson.
Number one, that makes it easier for me
to be really clear and concise and fast thinking.
And it also allows me to communicate to you
in a way that you are expecting
and a way that you understand.
So when I am a little more scripted,
that helps all of you, my audience.
Think about it the same way when you are in a meeting
or when you are at work.
It is okay to use the same strategy,
the same framework to answer a question.
And we are going to do that with these yes, no questions
that you are going to sound amazing in your next meeting.
Let's look at some sentence starters.
These are some very simple ones.
You can vary this and make this yours,
but we're going to practice today, which is this.
You're gonna answer, yes, I do, no, I do not.
And then you can go to step number two.
You give the reason, this is because,
and then you end with an example, for example.
Again, you are going to be able to vary this
once you get good at it, but you are thinking
about using the same format from response to response.
So another way to think about it is,
again, you give your yes or no,
you provide your reason, and you give an example.
Let's give this a try and start with the sentence starters.
Okay, the question is, do you like soda?
Okay, so I want you to think about your answer.
Do you like soda?
Start with number one, yes or no.
I want to know your reason, and then give me an example.
Okay, are you ready to try it?
I'll give you an example.
Do you like soda, Jennifer?
Yes, I do like soda.
This is because I love the bubbles.
It's very refreshing.
For example, my favorite is a LaCroix or a Dr. Pepper.
They're just so refreshing, and that's it, okay?
All right, let's give this another try,
and I'm going to give you a question
with just the framework, and I want you to try it,
and then I'll give you my example.
Okay, the next question is, do you like coffee?
Yes, I do like coffee because coffee has always been
a part of my family's culture.
For example, we would have family parties,
and I'll sit around the table and drink coffee,
and so it makes me think about my grandmother and my family,
and I just have such great memories, and that's it.
Okay, you can also do this for work situations,
so let me give you an example for that.
Do you think we have too many meetings?
I know you've all gotten this question at work.
Do you think that we have too many meetings?
Okay, again, I'm gonna put up the framework.
I want you to think about how can you respond
in a very clear, concise, and confident way.
Okay, yes, we have too many meetings at work
because we have five meetings scheduled each day.
For example, on Monday, I had meetings
that were five hours long in total.
Please leave me your comments and your thoughts
and suggestions below, and join me next week
where we practice some more yes, no questions
with this Speak with Confidence three-step strategy.
Thanks, everyone.
Have an amazing day.
