That latter part often throws people too. They don't associate being dominant with asking for feelings or opinions. And in fact, this is somewhat delicate. On one hand, it's vital that you're constantly mindful of their feelings and reactions, and visibly demonstrating that their inclinations, preferences, and nature are playing a significant role in your decision making process. On the other hand, you have to insulate them from feeling at all responsible for the decisions that you make based on that information.
Taking a common example that I've heard many submissive peoples complain about their partners in, let's say you're a dominant setting up a date night. You might say, "Let's go out for dinner. What sort of food are you hungry for?" Saying "Let's" allows them to feel they can offer more feedback than something like, "We're going out," but it still gives them the feeling that you are owning the idea that they can participate in. Similarly, by asking, "What are you hungry for?" you're leaving the sort of feedback they want to give as open as possible, rather than giving them a checklist of types of food they have to choose from, or multiple choice lists of restaurants. All of those questions delegate choice and therefore power back to your partner.
So the dominant wants to know what time to plan it for. He'll say, "I'll make reservations. Can you be ready for six thirty?" With the making the reservations, he's stepping up, showing initiative and leadership, and making himself easy to follow. Then he's giving an avenue for feedback, but not asking for them to choose a time. He comes up with the time and lets them respond how they will, and maybe saying 'Then how about seven?' if it's insufficient. Also, if you notice, this example gets clever as it verbally changes asking what time they can be ready into offering a way to participate productively in the evening the dominant is planning; 'Can you be ready by six thirty?'
You want to conduct communication in that way for most of the evening. The fine art of leading a conversation is an art you can develop similarly. You want to strike a balance between offering your thoughts and disclosing about yourself, asking about their thoughts, and demonstrating recognition, respect, empathy for how they reply. You essentially introduce topics and thoughts and allow them to respond. The point is to make them feel engaged without feeling like they have a particular role that needs to be filled in the conversation.
That is the crux of what you're doing in your communication as a dominant. In every other social venue, we're constantly responding to vague social cues and puzzling out how we might be expected to respond. As much as possible, what a dominant wants to do is to make any expectations that will affect a submissive crystal clear to them, or else removing the concern and consequences entirely in conscious, deliberate fashion. However, we're just starting out, here, so we're only exercising that exchange of responsibility in simple, easy, and carefully selected ways.
Some at this point might observe that what we're doesn't seem very dominant, more resembling the behavior they might expect from a submissive. It's true; we're not actually asking for much from the submissive at this point. But we are asking for one very significant thing. We're asking them to try to enjoy participating in an exchange that we're controlling. And once they become comfortable and even desirous of that sort of space, we can begin giving them way in which to participate more actively. But that participation will be under our active direction.
Maybe into this dinner date night, instead of carrying everything yourself, as the dominant, you might ask them to get your coats while you pay the bill, or wait while you get the car. Maybe you can ask them to run into a convenience store while you wait outside with the engine running or some little 'favors' at your direction.
The thing to keep in mind is to make these requests on them be under your initiative. Never expect them to figure out what you want on their own at this stage. And never, ever show dismay on them not anticipating some wish of yours. If they do something you don't prefer, or fail to do something that you want, this is where you step up and take accountability and responsibility for your wishes.
