How to Connect with Anyone in your Workplace
Use this to light the spark in those around you.
Regardless of whether you’re a manager or a lower level employee, it’s up to you to decide how you want people to respond to you. Your energy has the power to influence the response you’ll recieve from others. We’ve all heard about the psychological tricks to know if people are truly listening to you, are their feet pointed toward you, are they mirroring your movements, level of engagement in verbal responses, etc, but the best way to garner positive interactions with those around you takes a little bit of conversational research.
No I’m not talking about getting on their instagram and finding out their birth date or stalking their linkedin to find out what career path they’re on. I want this next part to be really clear.
I’m talking about finding that thing in the conversation that makes THEM come alive.
I have some close friends who are great at this. Warm, compassionate and interested. You know, I’ll admit, that when I first talked to them, I found it kind of strange that they were so interested in my side of the conversation and responding with the desire to learn more about me. We get so used to people just listening to respond, so the fact that someone was truly listening felt strange at first, but I walked away feeling valued. It’s perfectly acceptable to fish around and find the thing that you connect with them on, that’s a great raport builder, but utilise that as a foundation to discover what they’re passionate about.
If you’re in management, you have the opportunity to connect with that employee, determine what makes them tick, and utilise that to fuel their motivation at work. You may not love what they love, that’s okay, but you should love seeing someone flourish. Let me tell you that this may not happen straight away, it may take hours of conversation, and some people have built very high walls, but you have the potential to unlock something that builds that professional relationship and produces productive discussion in the future.
So keep that in mind as you converse with others. Watch for those little sparks of joy while people talk, and if you see one, pursue it.
