He was “everyone’s favorite rumpled television detective”, writes historian David Fantle about Peter Falk, the star of the 1970’s series Columbo. Falk plays Lieutenant Columbo and the beauty of Columbo was watching how he unraveled the mysteries and crimes.

Columbo’s method

He asks insightful questions in a humble manner.

Relevance to you

A client said to me the other day, “Karen, I use the Columbo Method to negotiate, sell, and diffuse any situation.”

I commented, “I remember Peter Falk wearing his wrinkled raincoat in Columbo and always liked him.”

He said, “Exactly! He solved the crime, and got people to tell him everything. Even the bad guys trusted him… until they lost the game.”

My client explained, “Columbo got the job done by asking three strategic questions. And I use those same questions to diffuse anger, get agreement, get the sale, talk to my teenage daughter …whatever.”

Columbo’s 3 question method

1️⃣  What did you mean by that? (Allows the other person to further explain the situation)
2️⃣  How did you come to that conclusion? Or – What makes you think that way? (This allows you to really get inside the other person’s head)
3️⃣ Have you ever considered __________ Or – Another way to look at this is ___________ and you fill in this blank with your alternative solution.

Ask these 3 questions to get what you want. Good luck in solving your next crime or negotiating your next deal with your board, team or teenage kid.

#communication #SpeakForYourself #KarenCortellReisman #ColumboQuestionMethod

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