Chris Fenning explains how to start unplanned work conversations by stating upfront how much time you need. Ask if they have time, then give a specific estimate like "Do you have 10-15 minutes?" Without a clear frame, the other person may overcommit or get frustrated when you run out of time.
How to start a work conversation, tip number 8: say how much time you're going to need. When you start a conversation that's unplanned— that means outside of a scheduled meeting— you are going to be taking somebody's time unexpectedly. You might have bumped into them in the corridor, picked up the phone to call them, seen them at their desk. In these situations, you should ask the person if they have time to talk, but also say how much time you need for the conversation. Because when we start a conversation, we might know this is a good 15 to 20 minutes to talk about this topic. The other person might be assuming it's a quick 1 to 2 minute chat, or a very quick question. If you don't ask or say the amount of time that you need, the other person might be committing to a conversation they don't have time for. They might also have less time than you need, which will either cause the conversation to finish in the middle, so you won't get what you want, or it'll cause the other person to be late for something else, or just be frustrated that it's taken more time than they had available. So how do you do this? Well, at the start of the conversation, when you ask them, do you have time to talk? Say the amount of time you think you need. And it shouldn't be a minute. Unless you've got a very, very short question, you're going to probably need more than, hey, do you have a minute? So say something like, hi, do you have 10 to 15 minutes to talk about this topic? Or, hi, I'd like to talk to you about this. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Or, I just need 3 or 4 minutes to get your opinion on one thing. Think about the time that you need to describe your topic. Think about the amount of time the other person will need to ask questions. And think about the amount of time to have that back and forth conversation. Add all those pieces of time together, and you have the— an estimate for how long you think that conversation will last. Use that at the beginning of your talk. So, if you want to start work conversations well, say the amount of time that you need for the conversation.
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