I was waiting in line for the cashier to finish up with the customer ahead of me. I was just calmly day dreaming about who knows what – when the cashier looked up at me and said, “Please be patient.”
I thought to myself, “Whoa, don’t I look patient?”
I know what she was trying to say, however it sounded like she was ASSUMING that I was being impatient when, in fact, I wasn’t. Here’s what she COULD have said that would have carried an implied positive assumption: “I appreciate your patience.”
Ahhhh. Magic.
From your very patient motivational speaker, Linda Larsen
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Amazing how just a tiny twist of the words can change the reaction in the listener. Thanks for sharing Linda!
You are always amazingly patient, Ms. Motivational Speaker Linda Larsen! Great tip for customer service individuals and everyone!
Such a simple change of wording has such a huge impact!
This shows how important is is to be able to “read” a customer before making statements like that. Not always accurate, I know, but a good skill to hone, none the less.