Before your next appointment

You know the drive home, when you remember the three things you forgot to ask? Fix it in five minutes, the night before.

The lesson

Tell it about the appointment — and the part that matters: what you're actually worried about, and that you tend to freeze up. Ask for a short list of questions, most important first, in your own words. The big question goes to minute two, not minute fourteen. Screenshot the list. Walk in with it.

I have a [15-minute] appointment about [what]. What I'm most worried about is [the real worry]. Make me a short list of questions, most important first, in plain words — it should fit on my phone screen.