Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is that when you are in a new situation,
Speaker 1: ask veterans to tell you what you need to know.
Speaker 1: People love to share advice, and this question can lead
Speaker 1: to more interesting and useful conversations than many other subjects.
Speaker 1: If you spend any time reading comment threads online, you
Speaker 1: will soon realize that people love to say what worked
Speaker 1: and what didn't work for them. Sharing advice hits that
Speaker 1: great intersection between the human needs of wanting to be
Speaker 1: helpful and social and the fact that people love to
Speaker 1: talk about themselves. So why not take advantage of that.
Speaker 1: If you are new in a situation, you probably want
Speaker 1: to get to know people, and you probably do want
Speaker 1: to know information that is helpful and useful. People are
Speaker 1: often honored if you ask them what would be helpful
Speaker 1: for you to know? So ask. For instance, if you're
Speaker 1: moving to a new town, ask people who know the area,
Speaker 1: what do I need to know about living in this place?
Speaker 1: You can ask your new colleagues, your real estate agent,
Speaker 1: your new neighbors, the friendly beerista at the coffee shop
Speaker 1: near your office, and anyone else who might have suggestions.
Speaker 1: You might get recommendations for a nearby farmer's market, or
Speaker 1: advice on where not to park, tips on kid birthday
Speaker 1: party norms, or who knows. Likewise, if you are going
Speaker 1: somewhere on vacation for the first time, ask those who
Speaker 1: have been there, what do I need to know about
Speaker 1: New Orleans? For Marti Gras, from things to pack to
Speaker 1: foods to eat to the best parade viewing spots, Marti
Speaker 1: Gras regulars will help you have a great time. You
Speaker 1: can ask for tips that a new job or in
Speaker 1: a new department. What do I need to know about
Speaker 1: working here? This is also a great format for questions
Speaker 1: for kids to ask what do I need to know
Speaker 1: about being in Miss Brown's Algebra one class? Or what
Speaker 1: do I need to know about basketball tryouts? What do
Speaker 1: I need to know about packing for this sleepaway camp.
Speaker 1: Even people who are relative newcomers will probably want to
Speaker 1: help answer this question. They've picked up something in their
Speaker 1: limited experience, and they will be happy to help you
Speaker 1: avoid any missteps they had. The upside of this question
Speaker 1: is that you get information you didn't even know to
Speaker 1: ask about. Maybe what you need to know about Miss
Speaker 1: Brown's algebra class is that she always gives a quiz
Speaker 1: the day before Thanksgiving because she has a particular be
Speaker 1: in her bonnet about families taking extra days for this vacation.
Speaker 1: You probably wouldn't think to ask about this particular pet peeve,
Speaker 1: but if you know, you know, and you can figure
Speaker 1: out what to do with it now. Of course, some
Speaker 1: advice isn't useful. I was once warned in a new
Speaker 1: job that I needed to know about something that was
Speaker 1: a particular problem for my predecessor. For whatever reason, it
Speaker 1: wasn't a problem for me. I had different struggles, but
Speaker 1: not that particular one. You always have to figure out
Speaker 1: what to do with the information you receive. But even
Speaker 1: if it isn't useful, it can help you connect with
Speaker 1: other people. Asking people for advice makes them feel useful,
Speaker 1: which is highly likely to make them feel closer to you,
Speaker 1: And if you are a new person somewhere, that is
Speaker 1: a very useful thing. Indeed, in the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our times. Thanks for listening to before breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.