Next in our culture series is “Meet People Where They Are.” Our society comes jammed packed with assumptions and – you know the old saying about assume and “you + me.” Yet we continue to make assumptions when it comes to teaming and serving.
When we go to the doctor’s office, does the doctor share with you that you have a Sterutate? What about a Veisalgia? Or worse? Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter?
If you were told you had those conditions – you’d likely panic; perhaps, ask how long you’ve got! In reality you would have a sneeze (Sterutate) a hangover (veisalgia) and the hiccups (synchronous diaphragmatic flutter). If a doctor shared the medical jargon with you – you would go find another doctor.
Yet we do this in our day-to-day professional lives as well. Perhaps when onboarding a new employee, we may find ourselves using industry jargon and acronyms. When supporting a customer, maybe we flip into techno-speak. It makes us sound really smart and our ego gets a nice pat when the other person looks completely bewildered at the words coming out from our mouths.
But we’ve accomplished nothing. We would not have taught the other person anything, nor eased their concerns. And in fact, we likely introduced additional concerns, worries and stress.
Meeting people where they are is all about removing ego and accepting that others don’t know jargon or that the details that “we” may find basic aren’t actually basic to the other person.
Meeting people where they are is a kindness and it’s how we can serve others well. This isn’t about talking down to others but appreciating that we all come to knowledge via different paths and timelines. How many of us were full grown adults before we realized pickles were actually just cucumbers (guilty)?
So how can you implement this philosophy into your organization? First? Remove egos. No egos allowed. No a-holes allowed. If we believe we are ‘better’ than those we serve – we will create a combative environment where users won’t feel supported and heard.
Next? Work hard to remove jargon from your support. It’s not easy. Remove acronyms – and don’t assume that people know what the acronyms mean.
Finally? Revert to plain speak. Most patient education is written at about the 6th grade level. So, yes, that script or help document you wrote would make a fine essay for Harvard entry - does it actually meet people where they are? Does it use easy to understand language? Does it help someone walk away from the engagement with you feeling empowered, supported and heard? If the answer to that is no – re-write it!
Remember, if customers or users are reaching out with a problem, they are already in a frustrated state. Meeting them where they are by removing ego, jargon and industry speak will help the user or customer feel heard and focus on solving the problem at hand – while letting the negative emotions slowly fade away. In order to unleash their potential – meet them where they are, help them feel empowered, supported and heard.
