WEBVTT - Instead of what's new

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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 ask people what is coming up that

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<v Speaker 1>you should know about? Rather than the nebulus what's new?

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<v Speaker 1>This question tends to lead to information that really will

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<v Speaker 1>be useful to you. Today's tip comes from freelance writer

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<v Speaker 1>Diana Kelly Levy. In a LinkedIn post, she recommended asking

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<v Speaker 1>what are you working on next that I should know about?

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<v Speaker 1>Levy says she asked this question as a magazine editor

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<v Speaker 1>and asks it now as a freelance writer. Asking this

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<v Speaker 1>question means she gets to hear about topics that might

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<v Speaker 1>make good articles in the future. For instance, if an

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<v Speaker 1>editor has a major feature package coming up, she could

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<v Speaker 1>figure out what might fit with that. A writer in

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<v Speaker 1>this scenario knows exactly what she should pitch. I think

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<v Speaker 1>this is also a smart question to ask. In general,

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<v Speaker 1>what's new tends to drum up answers about any sort

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<v Speaker 1>of activity going on in a person's life or the

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<v Speaker 1>answer not much, which can kill a conversation right there,

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<v Speaker 1>what are you working on next that I should know about?

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<v Speaker 1>Or the personal version, what's going on in your life

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<v Speaker 1>now that I should know about tends to pull out

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<v Speaker 1>information that probably is going to affect you. So, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>if you ask your boss what's coming up that I

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<v Speaker 1>should know about, she may remember to catch you up

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<v Speaker 1>on a project so you will be ready to do

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<v Speaker 1>your part in a few days. If you ask your spouse, kids,

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<v Speaker 1>or roommates this question, you might hear about things that

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<v Speaker 1>will affect your shared life, like a major work project

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<v Speaker 1>that will occupy your spouse for the weekend, a school

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<v Speaker 1>event you'll need to send, bake goods for a science

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<v Speaker 1>fair project you need to help with, or that a

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<v Speaker 1>friend of your roommate will be staying in your apartment

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<v Speaker 1>this weekend. Now, of course, these are things that you

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<v Speaker 1>might hope the people in your household would bring up

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<v Speaker 1>without being asked, But sometimes people forget or they figure

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<v Speaker 1>they'll mention it closer to when it's happening, But you

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<v Speaker 1>would be best off knowing it sooner. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>you will probably all be happier if you ask this

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<v Speaker 1>question from time to time. Sometimes, when you ask what's

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<v Speaker 1>coming up that I should know about, the responses may

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<v Speaker 1>not be truly actionable, and that is okay. Your direct

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<v Speaker 1>report might share that she's been learning Canva in her

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<v Speaker 1>free time, now, you know. But still that's better than

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<v Speaker 1>asking what's new, which has a high probability of returning

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<v Speaker 1>the answer nothing much, and you can't really do anything

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<v Speaker 1>with that. If you ask a version of this question,

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<v Speaker 1>what's coming up that I should know about? I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear hear what you learn. You can reach me

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.