Start With Gratitude
Recently, I offered to help a local non-profit organization with an overhaul of their website. I find pro-bono work to be a decent way of getting experience dealing with people. I think of them as practice runs for situations in which I'll be acting as a technical consultant.
When I first went into their office a few months ago, I met with four people in the organization, who politely introduced themselves to me. When my turn came, I opened by telling them:
"I know that as an organization dedicated to helping struggling families, you are doing a lot of hard work with very, very little, every day. And I just want to start by thanking you for everything you do."
It was one thing for me to say it, but the reason it worked so well is because I sincerely meant it. It would be easy for me, as a volunteer helping with their website, to overvalue my contribution to their efforts, but I know better. I'm not doing the hard work...they are. And because I see things that way, it allowed me to be honest.
Whenever I can do it sincerely, I try to start or end every meeting by thanking people for all of their hard work. Fortunately for me, I get to say it and mean it very often, because I'm surrounded by smart people who really are hard workers. If you can start a meeting with gratitude, and truly mean what you say, it gets things off on the right foot, and it makes everything that comes after easier to deal with.
When I first went into their office a few months ago, I met with four people in the organization, who politely introduced themselves to me. When my turn came, I opened by telling them:
"I know that as an organization dedicated to helping struggling families, you are doing a lot of hard work with very, very little, every day. And I just want to start by thanking you for everything you do."
It was one thing for me to say it, but the reason it worked so well is because I sincerely meant it. It would be easy for me, as a volunteer helping with their website, to overvalue my contribution to their efforts, but I know better. I'm not doing the hard work...they are. And because I see things that way, it allowed me to be honest.
Whenever I can do it sincerely, I try to start or end every meeting by thanking people for all of their hard work. Fortunately for me, I get to say it and mean it very often, because I'm surrounded by smart people who really are hard workers. If you can start a meeting with gratitude, and truly mean what you say, it gets things off on the right foot, and it makes everything that comes after easier to deal with.