How are YOU?
When Elmo went onto X to ask people how they were doing, he was met with an outpouring of pain and suffering. Creating cultures of connection requires us all to be reaching out to those in our lives. We use the question “How are you?” in a throw-away manner, but how we say it matters. Here, Alan explores the effects of para language and how the way we ask this important question affects what people tell us.
Exercise:
Find a friend, family member or colleague and practice asking “How are you?” by emphasizing a different word each time: How are you? How are you? How are you?
Reflect on how it felt. How did it influence what you said? How did it feel be asked in the different ways? How did it feel to ask?
When you next ask someone this question, be intentional with how you say it.
