Food For Thought - Grasshopper

Over the weekend I heard an old expression – Food for Thought – and it really got me thinking about a better way to give advice.

Long ago, whenever I offered advice, it usually felt like it just . . . bounced right off people. Unless someone’s actually paying you for your advice, it turns out most folks don’t really want to hear it – especially when you lead with, "Here’s some advice."

So I started softening it a little. I’d called it "input" instead. Sounded a little less bossy, a little more casual.

But hearing Food for Thought again made me realize – that’s probably the best approach of all. It’s an invitation, not an instruction. It gently suggests, Hey, here’s something you might want to chew on – without coming across like you're telling them what to do.

Think about how many times you’ve heard someone start with, "If I were you..."?

So here’s a different way:
I believe you’ll be surprised how much more they actually hear you.

And one more thing – don’t serve them a whole five-course meal. Just offer a little snack. Just enough to get them thinking, "Huh... maybe I’ll give that a shot."