meaning of "With a little prodding"

[kjc0123]

What is the meaning of "With a little prodding" in the following sentences?

 

THE COP'S name was Andy, nephew of a guy Ray finished high school with. That relationship was established within the first thirty seconds of his arrival, and once they were linked they talked about football while the exterior of Maple Run was inspected. No sign of entry at any of the downstairs windows. Nothing at the kitchen door but broken glass. Upstairs, Ray looked for bullets while Andy went from room to room. Both searches produced nothing. Ray brewed coffee and they drank it on the porch, chatting quietly in the early morning hours. Andy was the only cop protecting Clanton at that time, and he confessed he wasn't really needed. "Nothin' ever happens this early Monday morning," he said. "Folks are asleep, gettin' ready for work." With a little prodding, he reviewed the crime scene in Ford County�stolen pickups, fights at the honky-tonks, drug activity in Lowtown, the colored section. Hadn't had a murder in four years, he said proudly.

[Fibonacci]

prod means
1. To jab or poke, as with a pointed object.
2. To goad to action; incite.

"with a little prodding" is a phrase meaning with a little encouargement

[jno]

It means he had to be asked two or three times:  prodding usually means something physical, as Fibonacci says - being pushed - but can also just mean being asked or encouraged.

[Clanad]

To further illustrate the preceding descriptions, here in the western U.S., cattle are moved through the loading pens with the assistance of an electric "prod".  This is a device about two feet long and holds numerous cry cell batteries.  When pushed against the backside of a reluctant cow, it gives a mild but vigorous electric shock, which gives immediate incentive to the animal to move along...