WEBVTT - Follow up on free information

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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 that if a person mentioned something important in passing,

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<v Speaker 1>circle back to it. When people share something about themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>they are okay with you knowing it, and knowing it

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<v Speaker 1>can help you feel more connected. So we have probably

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<v Speaker 1>all had conversations when the other person mentions something going

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<v Speaker 1>on in their life while focused on another topic. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>your colleague asks to reschedule a meeting because of a

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<v Speaker 1>parent teacher conference at her daughter's new school. A fellow

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<v Speaker 1>volunteer might apologize for turning something in late and note

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<v Speaker 1>that she has been behind on everything since being out

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<v Speaker 1>of town for a funeral last week. Your buddy from

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<v Speaker 1>yoga might arrive late for class and as she is

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<v Speaker 1>squeezing her mat into place, mutter and explanation about her

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<v Speaker 1>puppy not wanting to let her out of the house.

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<v Speaker 1>All of this is sometimes called free information, tidbits of

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<v Speaker 1>personal information people drop while they are talking about something else.

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<v Speaker 1>When you follow up on information like this, you show

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<v Speaker 1>that you care, which can help build the relationship. As

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<v Speaker 1>you are chatting about the rescheduled meeting, you could ask

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<v Speaker 1>your colleague if her daughter as liking her new school.

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<v Speaker 1>You could tell your fellow volunteer you are sorry for

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<v Speaker 1>her loss, and perhaps ask about the person who died.

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<v Speaker 1>And after yoga class you could ask to see photos

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<v Speaker 1>of the new puppy. There are some upsides to following

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<v Speaker 1>up on free information versus other ways of connecting one

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<v Speaker 1>obvious one. With free information, you already know that the

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<v Speaker 1>other person is comfortable talking about it, since they mentioned it.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't have to feel around blindly for ways to connect,

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<v Speaker 1>like what are your hobbies or do you like the Phillies.

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<v Speaker 1>When you follow up on free information, you know the

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<v Speaker 1>topic is relevant to the other person. This gets you

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<v Speaker 1>to genuine connection much more efficiently. I have noticed that

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<v Speaker 1>some people are pros at noticing free information. They seem

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<v Speaker 1>to remember it effortlessly. If you are one of those people, wow,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for making people feel seen. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>not naturally one of those people, and I would include

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<v Speaker 1>myself in this category, I have some tips. First, be

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<v Speaker 1>on the lookout for free information now that you know

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<v Speaker 1>it has a name. This could be helpful. You don't

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<v Speaker 1>have to engage with every piece of free information, but

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<v Speaker 1>when a person feels something important, notice sometimes you may

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<v Speaker 1>be able to acknowledge the free information right there. You

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned you were away for a funeral recently. I'm sorry

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<v Speaker 1>for your loss. Then leave some silence in case the

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<v Speaker 1>person wants to volunteer something about the person who died.

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<v Speaker 1>Other times, you may want to follow up on free

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<v Speaker 1>information later. You can treat this like any other sort

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<v Speaker 1>of follow up you would do. That is, track it

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<v Speaker 1>and schedule it so you don't forget about it. The

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<v Speaker 1>colleague who rescheduled a meeting because of a conference at

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<v Speaker 1>her daughter's new school. In your personal notes for the meeting,

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<v Speaker 1>make a note new school as a reminder to ask

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<v Speaker 1>about it. If your friend mentions she can't run before

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<v Speaker 1>work next Thursday morning because she's giving a big presentation,

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<v Speaker 1>write an entry on your task list for that day

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<v Speaker 1>or the day before Julia's big presentation. Then, when you

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<v Speaker 1>see the entry on Thursday, text her to wish her

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<v Speaker 1>good luck or to ask how it went. We are

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<v Speaker 1>all complex people with complex lives. Free information can offer

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<v Speaker 1>us little glimpses into something we might not have known about.

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<v Speaker 1>When this information is acknowledged, it can make other people

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<v Speaker 1>feel seen in the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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