feature · November 2012
When Your Customer's Talk What Do You Hear?
When your needs are not being met, your feelings become indicators to cue you in.
When your needs are not being met, your feelings become indicators to cue you in.
Translating hostile "jackal language" into "giraffe language" turns an offensive statement into a basic set of feelings and needs.
Thinking of a customer as argumentative shuts down communication and sets you up to respond unhelpfully. Thinking of a customer as a person needing connection, clarity or understanding, will help you respond more compassionately. With that translation, your heart is activated, and it becomes much easier to respond in helpful ways.
By replacing the judgment with an exploration of our feelings and needs, it opened the door to understanding and mutual respect.