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Happy December.
This newsletter is our last edition for 2024 and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our readers for your continued support.
We hope that our F.I.R.S.T. newsletter has brought you valuable insights, practical tips and inspiration throughout the year, contributing to your personal and professional growth. We wish you joy, peace and cherished moments with your loved ones this holiday season.
To support you in being F.I.R.S.T. (Future-Ready. Innovative. Relevant. Strategic. Trusted.), here's 1 tip and 1 quote.
See you next year!
1. The F.I.R.S.T. Tip
The festive season is a time for gathering with loved ones. This year, why not make the most of these get-togethers by having more meaningful conversations?
Too often, we stick to small talk with strangers our of fear that deeper conversations will be awkward. In reality, the opposite is true.
In experiments conducted by the American Psychological Association, volunteers were asked to start conversations with strangers with weightier questions such as “What are you most grateful for in your life?”, “Can you describe a time you cried in front of another person?”, or “If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself or anything else, what would you want to know?”
Participants found these conversations less awkward than they had predicted and reported feeling happier and closer to the person they were talking to. These results were consistent across various demographics, including both women and men, introverts and extroverts, and in both in-person and online conversations.
So this holiday season, ditch the chit-chat about the weather and try these tips to foster richer connections:
• Ask thought-provoking questions. Move beyond "How have you been?" and invite people to share more about themselves. Try questions like "What's something you've learned recently that's made a big impact?" or "What's one of your favorite memories from this year?"
• Express gratitude. Take a moment to genuinely appreciate something about the person you're talking to, whether it's their sense of humor or their kindness. Acknowledging their positive traits can strengthen your bond.
• Be present. Put away your phone and focus fully on the conversation. This demonstrates that you care about the relationship.
This festive season, embrace the opportunity to build deeper, more meaningful connections with the relationships that are valuable to you.
2. The F.I.R.S.T. Quote
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