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My dad said to always ask for the full story before giving advice

About ten years ago, a friend asked me for help picking a new laptop. I just told him to get the one with the most RAM. He bought it, but then found out his main software needed a better graphics card, not more memory. He was out $800 and pretty annoyed. I remembered my dad's old saying and felt bad for not asking what he really needed it for. Anyone else mess up advice by not asking enough questions first?
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3 Comments
ninasanchez
People forget how often good advice needs the right context.
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christopher_west1
Listen to your uncle. Giving a clear answer first builds trust. Then you can ask one or two questions to check the context. Most people just want to know what to do next, not hear a list of possibilities. Overcomplicating it makes them doubt your answer and their own choice. Keep it simple, then adjust if needed.
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walker.rowan
My uncle gave me the opposite advice, to just give a clear answer and not overcomplicate things. Sometimes asking too many questions just makes people more confused about what they want.
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