Discovery, listening and participation

Discovery means understanding the customer's situation before proposing anything. Open questions work best: "How do you handle this today?", "What happens when it goes wrong?", "What would good look like in a year?" Follow up with "Can you give me an example?" to get beyond general answers.

Listening online needs extra care. Leave a short pause after people finish, because audio delays make it easy to interrupt. Summarise what you heard in your own words and check it: "So the main issue is late changes from customers, not the planning tool itself — is that right?"

In group calls, some people dominate while others stay silent. Address quieter participants by name with a question related to their role, or invite them to add to the shared notes. Ask cameras to be on if that is the norm in their organisation, but do not insist.

Watch for signals: a participant who turns their camera off or starts typing may be disengaged — or may simply be taking notes. Ask, rather than assume.