In April 2018 Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, appeared before members of the United States Senate to answer questions about his company. During the two-day hearing, forty-nine elected officials asked Zuckerberg hundreds of detailed questions. Most of the questions were polar, meaning they could have been answered with a yes or a no. But Zuckerberg rarely answered that way. He almost always avoided definite binary responses, even in those instances when lawmakers insisted on a yes or a no.

Take for example the exchange between Zuckerberg and Senator Ed Markey about new laws protecting children:

Markey: “Would you support a privacy bill of rights for kids where opt-in is the standard? Yes or no?”

Zuckerberg: “Senator, I think that that’s an important principle and . . . ”

Markey: “I appreciate that.”

Zuckerberg: “And I think we should.”

Markey: “But we need a law to protect those children. That’s my question to you. Do you think we need a law to do so? Yes or no?”

Zuckerberg: “Senator, I’m not sure if we need a law, but I think that this is certainly a thing that deserves a lot of discussion.”

When a questioner insists on a yes or no answer, as Markey did, the question is almost always a trap. The truth is far more complicated. Facebook’s support for a law protecting children would almost certainly depend on the merits of the law. If Zuckerberg said yes, people would expect Facebook to support any law regardless of its provisions. If Zuckerberg said no, people would accuse him of not caring for children. This was a trick question. Zuckerberg recognized it as such and responded appropriately.

Later in the same hearing, Senator Gary Peters also insisted on a yes or no answer. This time Zuckerberg stepped in the trap and had to retreat immediately.

Peters: “Yes or no, does Facebook use audio obtained from mobile devices to enrich personal information about its users?”

Zuckerberg: “No. [pause] Well, [pause] Senator, [pause] let me be—let me be clear on this.”

As Zuckerberg illustrates, it is rare that answering a question with a definitive no is an SME’s best option. If it’s possible to answer honestly without saying no, then do so. The word no doesn’t just feel negative; it connotes rejection, failure, and contention. It often pits two sides against each other and precludes possible alternatives. No is final and definitive. No is almost always the end.