I took notice of something today that occurs quite regularly in most people's lives.
I was at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned. As the dental hygienist was getting started she asked "So What's New?"
Now ... I only see this person twice a year and when you get your teeth cleaned you are not chatting about your life - you can't! I have no recollection of my conversation with her six months ago.
I'm not sharing this as a complaint about the dental hygienist, by the way. She was just being friendly.
I'm sharing it because I learned something.
Here's what I learned:
I noticed I felt uncomfortable because I had no idea how to respond. Do I say something funny? Do I think of something interesting to share? Do I state a neutral response? Do I shrug my shoulders?
Then I thought about my role when greeting my clients, my patients or my customers. I've actually said "So What's New?" to some of them and they may have felt unsure of how to respond too. I can't be the only one!
So ... what's the solution?
The public speaking courses I've taken used to teach that specific questions are much easier for people to answer than generalized questions.
So instead of saying "What's New?" a person could say "How was your day today?" "Have any vacation plans this summer?" "What's the weather like outside?"
These are much easier to answer.
I try not to make anyone feel uncomfortable as I go about my day. This brief interaction at the dentist helped me fine tune my communication even more. And, my teeth are cleaned;)
See ya tomorrow,
Marilyn
No comments:
Post a Comment