Good manners can make you a better writer because the stance of courtesy
helps you to remember to put others first. When you do, you write with
someone else in mind. Your agenda becomes what would help the other
person.
Putting someone else first puts you in a position of vulnerability called being humble. That is not a place America or many countries celebrate. If people thought about the power of humility more, they would recognize that being in a "one down" position makes you stronger. The reason? When you are in a more humble stance, others do not wear their defenses for long. They trust you more easily. When people trust you they are more likely to work with you in the solving of problems or the selling of goods.
To build upon that position of trust actively express gratitude. The simple exercise of good manners, like saying thank-you, greeting someone by name, offering to help, signing off with your own contact information on all correspondence, make it easier for the other person to remember you and not have strange feelings of discomfort about you.
There you are in their memories: offering to help, ready to say thank you, willing to say 'I am sorry' when you're wrong, able to listen to them and keep your opinion to yourself if it does no great good to offer it.
The more I think about other people and what they need the better able I am to understand how to write what will make sense to them and to provide information that anticipates their questions and concerns and respond appropriately. All of these activities make a person a better writer and easier to work with in any environment--virtual or otherwise.
Putting someone else first puts you in a position of vulnerability called being humble. That is not a place America or many countries celebrate. If people thought about the power of humility more, they would recognize that being in a "one down" position makes you stronger. The reason? When you are in a more humble stance, others do not wear their defenses for long. They trust you more easily. When people trust you they are more likely to work with you in the solving of problems or the selling of goods.
To build upon that position of trust actively express gratitude. The simple exercise of good manners, like saying thank-you, greeting someone by name, offering to help, signing off with your own contact information on all correspondence, make it easier for the other person to remember you and not have strange feelings of discomfort about you.
There you are in their memories: offering to help, ready to say thank you, willing to say 'I am sorry' when you're wrong, able to listen to them and keep your opinion to yourself if it does no great good to offer it.
The more I think about other people and what they need the better able I am to understand how to write what will make sense to them and to provide information that anticipates their questions and concerns and respond appropriately. All of these activities make a person a better writer and easier to work with in any environment--virtual or otherwise.
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