SMALLTALK

How many times have you spent a year
As “they” spent an hour filling your ear
With the dribble and drabble of their life
The minutest detail of their mundane strife

If only you had a recording tape
And could force them to listen without escape
Did they ever think of the impact
Of stories they shared or their lack of tact

It would be great if we all had a filter
That enabled your mind with an impact sniffer
That way we’d know if our anecdotes
Would mean very much to other folks

Now that I’ve risked being profound
I think I’ll have a slight turn around
The content is not that important so then
The impact remembered is presence and when

The thing that’s recalled after contact
It allures way more than words impact
The smiles warm reception eye contact too
Was there just talking or listening too

How do you make assessments of the people you meet?
What engages you and makes you want more connection?
Have you used the same metric in evaluating your likely impact on others? Does thinking about this motivate any behavior change on your part?