Relationships
Table 1—Steps, Tasks, and Essential Activities in
What does my MU TANG experience have to do
an Interaction
with professional practice? Professional interactions
STEP TASk
AN ESSENTIAL
involve frequent exchanges of information. This can
ACTIVITy
be challenging. For example, I get exasperated when
clients dismiss information I provide. Eventually, Allow enough
I remember the MU TANG experience and how time to transition
Handle
easy it was for me to dismiss information that did physically,
not match what I expected to hear. Then, I recall
essential
mentally, and
once again that my job involves more than just
Prepare matters before
emotionally from
providing information.
you start the
your previous
There are numerous other career-relevant les-
interaction.
activity to this
sons here. A key component of an interaction is the
interaction.
development of a healthy relationship that helps
participants create an effective interaction. Though
a healthy relationship is essential to the success of an
Agree on a
interaction, rarely do we intentionally develop one.
time frame for
Several attitudes and behaviors in my MU TANG
the interaction;
experience combined in the space of a few seconds
identify and
identify
to result in my dismissing Derek’s information:
agree on what
completely
each of you
what your client
want out of
I thought, “What can a 9-year-old Open wants from the
this particular
know about this?” interaction and
interaction
how s/he plans
I was too sure I was right about my choice of and what each
to use it.
body shops to check out new information. is willing and
able to do to
I got annoyed.
produce that
I did not stay in the conversation, open to the
result.
possibility that his information could be useful.
When explaining
complex
What happened in your interaction that led it to
material, stop
go poorly? I encourage you to consider only your
Address what
frequently to
attitudes and behaviors, not those of your client.
Work is wanted from
give your client a
For me, a healthy relationship includes an explic-
the interaction.
chance to explain
it commitment to respect the other (which includes
to you what s/he
considering his or her input), manage my emotions,
has heard.
and stay in the conversation. Any one of these com-
mitments would have saved the “S.”
Interactions
Develop an
Allow enough
What can be done to enhance one’s career in
implemental
time so that both
addition to creating healthy relationships with
end plan and close
of you will know
clients? Let’s examine interactions themselves.
the interaction
what to do next.
An interaction can be broken into five steps, as
on time.
detailed in Table 1.
consider what
worked and Take the time to
Reflect what did not do this step. Do
work in the not skip it.
interaction.
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