{"id":174,"date":"2016-05-24T21:01:01","date_gmt":"2016-05-24T21:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/?p=174"},"modified":"2016-05-24T21:01:01","modified_gmt":"2016-05-24T21:01:01","slug":"connecting-with-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/connecting-with-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting With People"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Connecting<\/a>In this fast paced world of email and text messaging, we somehow leave out the \u201cconnecting\u201d part of our communications. And yet, the connecting part is very important to our own success. How we relate to others, and communicate our desires, makes a huge difference on how the message is received. Have you ever noticed that HOW we are asked to do something, either makes us excited to do it, or makes us roll our eyes and dread the project? It\u2019s all about understanding how human behavior works. We can elevate the performance of those around us if we CONNECT.<\/p>\n

In your job, and in your future. <\/strong>Recently I read an article about being a successful entrepreneur. The author mentioned that one of the keys to success revolves around the network of the business owner. Those owners who had a more varied network, with closer ties, were more successful. It wasn\u2019t the NUMBER of contacts that determined the success of the owner, but rather the variety of contacts and the depth of the relationships. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs had close contacts in many different areas \u2013 people with whom they could discuss problems, or bounce around some ideas. The sincere advice that was given from this network helped the business owner find answers to various problems.<\/p>\n

Not a business owner. <\/strong>Whether you work for the government or have a job in corporate America the concept of keeping close ties with a varied list of contacts is not a bad idea. Even retiring successfully and happily may be influenced by your circle of contacts.<\/p>\n

Are you listening? <\/strong>When we truly connect with someone, even if it\u2019s someone we\u2019ve just met, the person we\u2019re talking to feels involved. The connection is subtle. Our body language gives us away. Sometimes I see it at networking events. I\u2019m talking to someone, but I see him or her looking casually around the room. Obviously, we\u2019re just NOT connecting. When we\u2019re not truly paying attention, the person we are talking to reads our body language. And not paying attention is a real hit to the person\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n

Telling stories. <\/strong>I have a friend who always interrupts my conversation with a story about what has happened to them. Admittedly, the stories she tells are always on topic to the discussion we were having, but it\u2019s her story. So my conversation or my discussion gets turned around and is quickly forgotten. The focus is now on her!<\/p>\n

Those little words. <\/strong>I notice this mostly when I\u2019m on the phone with someone, but it can happen in person too. The person I\u2019m talking to may use words like, \u201cUh-huh,\u201d \u201cReally,\u201d \u201cgosh,\u201d or \u201cinteresting\u201d \u2013 all words that signal to me that they are not really involved in my conversation. Something is distracting them. I\u2019m not connecting.<\/p>\n

We all bring value. <\/strong>Can we just agree to that statement? Instead of trying to impress everyone with our knowledge and expertise, it\u2019s so refreshing when someone openly admits that they learned something new for the first time! Such a response makes the person talking feel valued.<\/p>\n

Talk about the familiar. <\/strong>In some situations, you may feel out of your element. You walk in a room and don\u2019t recognize anyone, or you see that you are outnumbered \u2013 you\u2019re a women and the room is almost entirely men (or vice versa). The situation can be nerve wracking. So rather than try to come up with something clever, just be yourself. Talk about something that interests you \u2013 a recent movie, a team that you are following, or an upcoming vacation. People are just trying to connect with you, and even if you never mention your expertise, you\u2019re connecting with them on a more personal level \u2013 which is actually better!<\/p>\n

Does your organization lack connectivity? Better communication leads to\u00a0less conflict, decreased \u2018silos\u2019, a sense of trust , better collaboration and more fulfilling work. Let us help elevate the performance of your team. Give Leah M. Joppy & Associates <\/strong>a call at 301-670-0051 or email leah@lmja.com<\/a> and let\u2019s discuss solutions that work!<\/p>\n

\"Connecting<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this fast paced world of email and text messaging, we somehow leave out the \u201cconnecting\u201d part of our communications. And yet, the connecting part is very important to our own success. How we relate to others, and communicate our desires, makes a huge difference on how the message is received. Have you ever noticed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,2,6,3,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions\/177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lmja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}