I couldn’t think of an author/writing-centric tip to share this month, so instead I thought I’d tell you guys about some great advice I recently received.
This was more of an advice-through-observation kind of thing, but by watching one of my LDLA teammates, I’ve learned how valuable it can be to approach communication in a more conversational manner. I have a tendency (probably developed from having day jobs with extremely high-volume workloads, but also from just living in NYC for a decade and being an introvert) to be very straightforward and concise when talking with others, and I think that sometimes that can be off-putting for those on the receiving end, especially when over email and/or if they don't know me well.
My colleague has a really wonderful communication style that is still professional and to the point, but feels a bit more relaxed and friendly than my own, and I see can how it contributes to her relationships with people. As a result, I'm making an effort to adopt her style a bit and:
Be less formal
Explain my reasoning behind questions
Share my thought process
Be willing to chat/engage in smalltalk more!
I think doing this provides a universal advantage, not just an agent-specific one, which is why I am passing it along to you! Tell me: do you notice when someone is more approachable (either in their emails or in person-to-person conversation) and how does it change the way you interact with them?