Is it the end of the world or is it no big deal?
I'm a bit in love with the theorem of Jean-Louis Gassée (Apple France)...
in speaking about communication, relationships and customer service, he says, "there are two tokens on the table: It’s Nothing and It’s Awful. Both tokens are always played, so whoever chooses first forces the other to grab the token that’s left"
What this means to me is if I mess up something with a client, partner, kid, or friend and I pick up the token 'it's awful' - it might sound like..."Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, this is awful. I can't believe I let that happen on my watch, here's how I going to fix it..."
Which, according to Mr. Gassee, they will be compelled to take the 'it's nothing, it's no big deal, it's not the end of the world, it's ok, it's not that bad' token.
But if I mess up something with a client, partner, kid, or friend and I pick up the token 'it's nothing' and I say, 'it's not that big of a deal, you're sort of overreacting, it wasn't my fault', then they will likely pick up the 'it's awful' token and things will spiral downward from there.
I can think of many times in my life to validate this. I don't know about you but I'm always looking for one more tool in my communication toolkit. Even if this works just some of the time, I'll take it.
Do you want to give it a try? You can read more here.
Got a communication tip that works for you? Reply to share, please!
This and that...
On my Nightstand - Atlas of the Heart -Mapping Meaningful Connection & the Language of Human Experience - Thank you, Brene Brown, for unpacking, normalizing and honoring emotions. We have much to learn, understand and accept.
March Happiness Calender is here and has some cool, easy ideas to help you increase happiness; you can even download it in other languages!
Got an old phone? My old phone was just sitting around collecting dust - is yours? Did you know you can donate it to a good cause? It's easy-peasy!
I'll whisper words of wisdom in your ear! Creating a Mindset for Uncommon Success is available to you gratis. Thank you, Spotify.
Word of the Day - Bragitude - When you tell me some great news and I genuinely share in your joy (Mudita) and you express gratitude to me for being happy for you!
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