Asking for help as a tool for surfacing FAQs

Recently, I was asked to help put together a poster exhibition around a new way of visualising our organisational strategy and business plan - and make sure it was available in our regional/national offices as well as our London one within a couple of days.

I started asking around for help in each regional/national office - and got the usual enthusiastic "Yes, I would love to help with this" responses...

Yeah, right.  In my dreams.

What I mostly got was "No, but (sotto voce) possibly persuadable", "Ask this person instead", "I'm on holiday for six weeks..." and "Erm...what's this about anyway?"

Cereal box sketch of idea. Note FAQs 

hastily added in.

It was a bit disheartening until I remembered a recent Masters of Scale podcast dealing with pitching (Grit Happens). It reckoned each "No, but..."  response was an opportunity to learn more about your product's market fit. One woman related her 140+ plus rejections with notable pride.

Then I had a minor epiphany. I realised  my colleagues were actually helping me create a list of FAQs that the wider organisation was bound to ask including:

1. What is this?
2. What do I have to do?
3. What about other offices?
4. What about home workers?
5. Can this be done in home, project or other teams?
6. What is the deadline?
7. Xxx is important, but not shown on it?
8. What happens afterwards?
9. What if I'm away or don't have time?

All of this was helpful in designing the final exhibition too.

Final version