How to make direct questions more polite?

There is always way how to make direct (in some cultures impolite) questions polite. There are some recommended question openings which turn your questions into polite requests which your customer or colleague is willing to answer.

How would you make these questions more polite? Make your own proposals and then scroll down to check my proposals:

Recently I have met with the employees of the Slovak company which tried to establish business relations in Italy. The representatives of the company had their first meeting with Italian partners and they were disappointed. In their opinion, the Italians did not take their first meeting seriously. They did not follow agenda, answered phone calls during meeting and after one hour invited them for a business lunch.
 

Why are some people more successful? Why are some people “skilled negotiators” and the others are disappointed with their outcomes?
 
Usually business negotiations are conducted in English. It means that no one party has a language advantage. However, some business negotiators are always more successful than others.
 
What secret do successful negotiators know?

Have you been thinking what communication style you have?
 
Every day you learn something new in several areas of your life. You build your personal relations, business relations or relations to nature. And communication is the main channel through which information is transmitted to you or from you to other people.
 
Have you ever asked yourself the question: „What is my communication style?“