What can you do to show you appreciate someone, your residents, your family, your friends, or the person on the street you just passed? As we learn and use the wonderful features of technology and social media, we tend to not interrelate like we once did. We have all emailed the person in the next cubicle or office, and texted someone when we could have called them. What three things can you do on a daily basis that makes a difference in how people connect and react to you?
Everyone has three things they can do to let others know they matter. I recently sent an email about this to my fellow teams. Incidentally, I received more replies than normal and I would like to share some of the unedited feedback.
- Smile and compliment them.
- Make them feel welcome; tell them they have been approved for their new home.
- Ask them “How can we help”?
- Tell them you appreciate them, maybe bring them a coffee and tell them one nice thing! Or just give them a big hug.
- Listen, people want to be heard and know that what they have to say matters, and it shows you value them, as well as what they have to say.
- Speak directly to them, look in their eyes, and be attentive.
- Use their name when you talk to them, it makes them feel important and gets their attention.
- A simple acknowledgement, “Great Job”.
- To a stranger driving and trying to get in your lane, “Just wave and let them in”.
- Stand up and greet them when someone walks into your office. Tell them how special they are every time you see them.
This is timeless and relevant in this exciting and incredibly busy life we share. Our lives are increasingly demanding, and the technology creates more texting, emailing, posting, tweeting, and less opportunities for those random meetings.
We all need warm handshakes, bright clear eyes looking back at you during conversation, and big smiles showing your agreement and amusement of the situation. We are humans, we all need to know we matter, and we need to better communicate that you matter too. My favorite things are smiling (of course), looking someone in the eye, and asking how I can help? How will you show people in your life that they matter? What Three Things?