"The sweetest sound to our ears is our name"
The biggest lesson I've ever learned about being persuasive is to put the focus on the other person and not yourself. And that's why using the other person names is so vital to being heard. We love the sound of our own name when it is spoken by others.
So is it enough to just use the other persons name frequently in all forms of communication? No, how you use it can increase its effectiveness. So here is a valuable tip I've learned....
"make sure you end all conversations and written communications with the persons name"
Doing this ensures that whatever is being said has a better chance of being remembered and being believable. So instead of ending a conversation with a quick 'bye' or 'talk to you later' try ending it with the persons name. For example..."it was great talking to you Rick" or "lets chat again soon Ashley". Most of us are good at first impressions but poor at last impressions. And because of that its easy to stand out by just adding the persons name at the end of the conversation or communication. So make you bye as good as you hi.
Using a persons name also softens the blow of criticism. It makes the other person feel like more than just an employee if you ended a criticism with something like..."I'm sure you understand the importance of making this change and will do your best Bill".
And sometimes its best to not put your name at the bottom of the email. They know that the message is from you so why not just end it on their name. If you want you could put your initials but even that is not necessary. Better to just end it with the sweetest sound to their ears....their name!
Great advice and SO true!
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by Jenn
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