PeopleSmart in Business eBook - The Platinum Rule

60
Three: How Will You Know One When You Meet One?
Say it with feeling
Typically, you’ll notice a wide range of vocal infl ection and intonation
and a tendency to want to know your reaction. “Do you feel that
way, too?” Th ey liven up conversations with personal anecdotes and
may keep you on the phone longer than you had anticipated. If you
need to extricate yourself from an extended monologue, try something
like, “Well, Don, it’s been great talking with you. I’m really looking forward
to our appointment on Monday!” If you say it with feeling, the
Interacting Socializer may already eagerly anticipate your meeting.
By Letter?
Letters, too, can reveal the Interacting Socializer behind the correspondence.
Oft en, this type overuses exclamation points, underlining, and
bold highlighting. You can almost hear her emphasizing those picturesque
adjectives and adverbs. Just as the Interacting Socializer tends to speak in
a stimulating, energetic way, so does she write. She may also throw in an
image-provoking personal anecdote or reference to some mutually satisfying
experience. “I’ll never forget our adventure on the freeway en route
to Los Angeles—in rush hour, of course!” When she’s fi nished a letter or
note, she may add a postscript (P.S.), a P.P.S., or even a P.P.P.S.
Caution: Again, these tendencies may not as readily reveal themselves
if the Interacting Socializer has learned to tone down her natural
fl air while conducting business. And there’s always a possibility
that the secretary cleans up her copy before typing it out, especially if
she is a more exacting, less animated behavioral type.
How Will You Know a Steady Relater
When You See One?
Offi ce memorabilia
When you enter a Steady Relater’s offi ce, be alert for conservatively
framed personal slogans, group photos, serene landscapes and