Sympathy: “an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion”
We are living in a time when there are lots of readily available messages. When we hear a stranger talk, our first inclination is to be skeptical. We wonder what their slant is, what their motive is, or where they are mistaken or even lying. Until that person proves to be someone we can trust, we are deaf to their message. This relates to Seth Godin’s idea of gaining friends before gaining customers, but I mean more in a granular, conversational context.
When you meet someone new, whether at a business gathering, a new blog, new twitter follower, or new next-door neighbor, understand that they are not listening to what you are saying until they get to know your message and understand its contexts.
Also, even if you’ve known someone a long time, if you have lost their sympathy, you will have to work to regain it before any real communication can be reinstated.
Let me be clear: Everything said before sympathy is only useful in gaining sympathy. Until you get your listener’s sympathy, there is no reason to try and convince them of anything. All you can do is build reasons for them to hear your message, then give them your message.
Posted in Communication, Uncategorized ~ 1 Comment
