Had a thought this morning about interacting on forums. I've done some fairly long stints in the corporate world, and one of the best "team bonding" exercises we did was improv. A group from 2nd City came out and walked us through how to do improv, and the key element was having a "Yes, and..." attitude. So instead of leading with "no", as we ALL have done too many times, the idea is to start from a place of agreement and launch off from there. Now it's tricky, and not natural, and doesn't always make sense, but it's a GREAT way to check yourself that you're coming from a collaborative POV instead of a confrontational one.
I get it, everyone isn't interested in that. But if you are...
Find something in the post you're mentally disagreeing with that you do agree with. Acknowledge that, in a genuine way. Then move into where you might disagree. Sure, we will see posts with which we find exactly zero value. In that case, do I need to respond?
Try "Yes, and..." and see if you get better engagement. I'm going to give it a shot.
I get it, everyone isn't interested in that. But if you are...
Find something in the post you're mentally disagreeing with that you do agree with. Acknowledge that, in a genuine way. Then move into where you might disagree. Sure, we will see posts with which we find exactly zero value. In that case, do I need to respond?
Try "Yes, and..." and see if you get better engagement. I'm going to give it a shot.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram