Advice on Advice
Giving advice obligates. It puts the receiver in a precarious spot. Do I take the advice? Do I blow it off? Do I debate the input?
The advice giver feels confident he’s helping. He’s “been there done that” and allegedly knows what he’s talking about.
Advice Starts with:
You should…
Why don’t you…
Have you ever thought about…
You need to…
Just…
A more generative approach is to hear them out, empathize, and tell a short parallel story. Your input is likely valuable to the situation but how you deliver it matters.
“In my experience…”
“One time I was in a similar situation and…”
Give space for them to arrive at their own answer instead of cornering them with your unsolicited input.
