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 to invite people to share good news. This
Speaker 1: can lead to a more fruitful and positive conversation than
Speaker 1: the usual how are you banter? We hear all day long.
Speaker 1: If you pay attention, you will no doubt see that
Speaker 1: you say some version of how's it going multiple times
Speaker 1: per day. It can be formal, like with a team
Speaker 1: icebreaker in a meeting, but that is also how we
Speaker 1: greet kids, or friends, or even a regular barista. And
Speaker 1: there's nothing wrong with this question. The problem is that
Speaker 1: almost everyone is going to answer fine or In this
Speaker 1: day and age busy, none of these answers do much
Speaker 1: to advance the conversation along. So why not tweak this
Speaker 1: question just a little bit and specifically invite people to
Speaker 1: share something good? For instance, the tell me what you've
Speaker 1: been up to opening of a meeting could be asking
Speaker 1: everyone to share a win from the last week. If
Speaker 1: nothing else, the meeting is going to start with everyone
Speaker 1: feeling like they are in a more positive frame of mind. Wow,
Speaker 1: this is a winning team. If you are leading a
Speaker 1: Sunday school class, or a Girl Scout troop meeting. You
Speaker 1: could likewise invite people to share the best thing that
Speaker 1: happened since you last saw each other. Ask your Saturday
Speaker 1: morning running buddies what was the highlight of their week.
Speaker 1: If you run into a friend in the grocery store,
Speaker 1: ask her what she most enjoyed cooking this week, Or
Speaker 1: if you are meeting in the garden store, ask her
Speaker 1: what's the prettiest thing growing in her yard right now.
Speaker 1: Little kids may be eager to share their good news,
Speaker 1: but older kids and adults can sometimes need more of
Speaker 1: an invitation. Maybe they don't want to boast, or maybe
Speaker 1: they are sensitive to other people's struggles. They don't want
Speaker 1: to draw attention to their own good fortune. I get that,
Speaker 1: but regardless, when you invite people to tell you something good,
Speaker 1: you give them license to amplify their own joy by
Speaker 1: sharing it with you. Now, of course, for relationships to
Speaker 1: be authentic, we need opportunities to share bad news as well.
Speaker 1: Our lives are not all sunshine and smiles, so be
Speaker 1: sure that you leave room in your close relationships for
Speaker 1: talking about your whole life, not just the cheerful parts.
Speaker 1: And of course you need to read the room I
Speaker 1: am not sure that a meeting about layoffs needs to
Speaker 1: start with a discussion of people's wins. And if your
Speaker 1: friend in the grocery store looks exhausted, maybe offering her
Speaker 1: a kind word and wishing her a peaceful week is
Speaker 1: more appropriate. But with those caveats in mind, sometimes, especially
Speaker 1: in a quick how are you kind of exchange, asking
Speaker 1: for a high can be a great way to connect
Speaker 1: over something specific and positive, and that can be a
Speaker 1: very good thing. Indeed, in the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. 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.