tell them what they're doing: “I see that you're looking at the list on the right.” This will prompt them to tell you what they're trying to do, what they're looking for, or whatever it may be. If they ask a question, rather than giving a leading answer, you can play back the question to them. They ask, “Will clicking on this make a new entry?” and you ask in return, “You're wondering if clicking on this will make a new entry?” Usually, they will take it from there because they'll want to answer your question: “Yeah, I think it will.” Parroting also helps avoid leading value judgments. If you
...more
