Film-style poster for the One Question, One Session presentation

A guide for founders A guide for founders

How to get a real answer from a short booked session.

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

Asking a stranger

Mentors say yes more than expected

Make the yes easy: send the context first, so the session goes to the problem.

50% How far people underestimate how many others will agree to help Flynn & Lake, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008

The brief

Send the brief with the booking

Context, the question, the decision date, what you tried and the answer you need.

Opening

Open with the problem, not your story

Skip the bio; your mentor read the brief and wants the hard part.

  • So, we started in 2023, and then... Ten minutes gone.
  • We must pick free or paid pilots by Friday. Now the session can start.

Testing the answer

Ask when the answer would flip

A good answer comes with the conditions where it stops being true.

  • Why do you say that?
  • When would the answer be the opposite?
  • What would you check first?

Closing

Close with your takeaway and a name

Say back what you heard, then ask who else you should talk to.

  • Say the takeaway in your own words
  • Ask for a name who else should I talk to?
  • Send two lines after what you decided

Doing it on Mentornity

Prepare it on Mentornity

Forms, the meeting page and your program’s rules help a short session go further.

Fill in the meeting form

If your program has one, it reopens prefilled later.

Use the meeting page

The topic and files sit on the meeting page.

Know the cancel window

Your program sets how late you can cancel or move.

Fill in the meeting form

If your program has one, it reopens prefilled later.

Use the meeting page

The topic and files sit on the meeting page.

Know the cancel window

Your program sets how late you can cancel or move.

Write your brief tonight

Five lines, sent with the booking, give your mentor the whole session to help.

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