WEBVTT - Second Cup: You work with people

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to remember that you work with people, not

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<v Speaker 1>email addresses or job descriptions. Remembering that will help create

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<v Speaker 1>more pleasant environments and you'll get things done more smoothly too.

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<v Speaker 1>It's easy to forget that almost every interaction involves another person.

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<v Speaker 1>This is particularly true for one time interactions and when

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<v Speaker 1>we're interacting remotely with people we've never met in real life.

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<v Speaker 1>When you call about your refrigerator delivery, you just want

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<v Speaker 1>to know when you need to be home for the

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<v Speaker 1>delivery and how much longer you'll be eating takeout. When

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<v Speaker 1>you email the it help desk at your workplace, you

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<v Speaker 1>just want to all of your printer problem. But sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>you get a little bit more than you are expecting.

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<v Speaker 1>You may find out that the appliance delivery scheduler is

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<v Speaker 1>covering for a colleague and that she just bought the

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<v Speaker 1>same model refrigerator that you are having delivered. Sometimes it's

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<v Speaker 1>unclear what you are supposed to do with all this,

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<v Speaker 1>though it's probably preferable to the situation of getting no response.

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<v Speaker 1>You call the help desk and no one is there,

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<v Speaker 1>and so you're frustrated because it is supposed to help

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<v Speaker 1>you do your job. If we're not careful, these interactions

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<v Speaker 1>can lead to us being rude, but that's usually not helpful.

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<v Speaker 1>What is helpful is recognizing that we work with people.

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<v Speaker 1>Almost everything eventually has a human being on the other end,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter how much people try to automate things. By

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<v Speaker 1>remembering this, we can at least be in a better

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<v Speaker 1>mindset about these interactions. There are a few approaches that

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<v Speaker 1>can help. First, pay attention to people's names. You are

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<v Speaker 1>often calling a person, and that person has a name.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not the main office at Anna's school. It's Missus Watson.

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<v Speaker 1>The receptionist Wayne, who manages mail and deliveries in your building,

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<v Speaker 1>is the one who needs to let you know right

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<v Speaker 1>away when the messenger delivers the document. So it's Wayne

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<v Speaker 1>you need to talk to about it, not the anonymous

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<v Speaker 1>mail room. When we think of people by name instead

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<v Speaker 1>of by roll, we subtly shift from an entirely transactional

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<v Speaker 1>perspective what are they doing for me? To a more

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<v Speaker 1>relational perspective, Because it turns out that Missus Watson and

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<v Speaker 1>Wayne and even dispatch over at the refrigerator place if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't know her name. All have real lives. They

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<v Speaker 1>have as much drama and joy in their lives as

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<v Speaker 1>anyone else. So learning a little bit about anyone you

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<v Speaker 1>interact with repeatedly can make any interaction more pleasant and

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<v Speaker 1>probably more productive. You might know that one person is

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<v Speaker 1>thrilled that her first grand baby is due next month,

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<v Speaker 1>and another person is fascinated by astronomy. Asking or commenting

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<v Speaker 1>on one little tidbit they care about can create a

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<v Speaker 1>moment of connection, even for one off interactions or what

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<v Speaker 1>you think will be a one off interaction. There is

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<v Speaker 1>no downside to remembering that you're dealing with an individual human.

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<v Speaker 1>Spend the moment marveling that the person scheduling your refrigerator

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<v Speaker 1>delivery is getting the same fridge as you. How wonderful.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a human reason for this. Mean you just made

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<v Speaker 1>someone feel seen and heard. But there is also a

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<v Speaker 1>practical reason. Your fridge delivery may wind up earlier in

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<v Speaker 1>the day's run of show, and if you need to

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<v Speaker 1>call back about a problem, it is more likely to

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<v Speaker 1>get addressed. Lately, I have gotten a surprising number of

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<v Speaker 1>human beings responding to those info at email addresses. It

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<v Speaker 1>is helpful to remember that unless the business is so

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<v Speaker 1>huge that they have figured out perfect automation, info is somebody.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if I'm annoyed about a problem with a product,

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<v Speaker 1>it is not really the personal fault of Terry who

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<v Speaker 1>answers the info emails. I wouldn't scream at Terry's face

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<v Speaker 1>in real life, so it's best not to send an

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<v Speaker 1>email that does the equivalent to the human being on

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<v Speaker 1>the other end. And there is always the chance that

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<v Speaker 1>Terry might be more helpful with a customer who doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>come across as a terrible person. We don't work with

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<v Speaker 1>job descriptions or help desks or email addresses. We work

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<v Speaker 1>with people. Remembering that can create connection in even the

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<v Speaker 1>most mundane of moments. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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