SBW #165: 4 Simple Ways to Affirm People with Your Writing
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The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented situation. We are finding our way through, and things continue to change daily. Most people are wondering what they can do to help others. If you’re not a doctor or a business owner who can hire people out of work, it may feel like you can’t do much.
To the contrary, there’s a lot you can do just by using your words.
People have a lot of needs. They need food, shelter, protection, and many other basic things. But everyone’s #1 emotional need is to feel affirmed. They want to know someone cares about them. That’s especially important in a time of uncertainly and upheaval, as we are experiencing now.
Here are four simple ways I’m using my words to show I care. There is nothing unusual or special about these tips. You don’t need any superpowers or special skills. You just need to put them into practice. And when you do, you’ll be shocked how much of a difference they make.
- Check in on people.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a great reason to check in and see how others are doing. I’ve sent a lot of emails and messages the last couple weeks that say something like this:
Hi Bill, I’m checking in on a few friends. I know it’s been a stressful time for everyone and I wanted to see if you and your family are doing OK.
This may seem commonplace, but it’s shocking how few people actually go to the trouble to check in on friends, colleagues, or clients. People are very open to communicating right now, and a simple message like this can make a huge difference.
Plus, when all the smoke clears, they will remember that YOU are one of the people who checked in with them.
- Like, share, and comment on social media posts.
This is another very simple thing you can do, but it shows you care and you’re paying attention.
Tricia Brouk is a speaking coach, and she’s also one of my clients. She lives in New York City and had been planning a live event for quite a while. But she had to quickly change plans when a shelter-in-place order was given in NYC.
She pivoted to a virtual event, and this past week I shared one of her posts on my Facebook page. It only took a couple of minutes for me to share Tricia’s post and make a comment about it. But because I took the time and effort to share it, my Facebook friends knew about the event, and Tricia knew that I supported her.
I’m not doing anything special or unique. You can do this also! Whenever you see something worth sharing or “liking,” take a few seconds to support the other person and let others know about it.
- Make connections between people.
Vincent Pugliese is a master connecter, and I’ve learned so much from him over the past year about building relationships. He has helped me see why it’s important to connect people who would otherwise not know each other.
For example, a friend of mine just found out he was laid off this past week. We talked on a Zoom call for about 90 minutes, and I was able to find out what kind of work he was looking for.
Earlier this evening, I took about 30 minutes and sent emails to a few friends of mine who have some knowledge and connections in his industry. I don’t know if any of my friends will be able to help him get a new job, but at the very least, he will have several new friends because I’ve made an introduction.
Think about the people you know. Who is looking for work? Who needs a connection? Who is hurting? Who needs something?
If you can think of 5 people you know who have a need, I’ll bet you have friends who might be able to help those people. Why not introduce them to each other?
That one email could be the very thing your hurting friend needs. Think about it–one email from you could change someone’s life!
And let’s be real. There’s going to be a time when YOU are the one who’s hurting. You’ll be grateful that you built up goodwill with others so they will be more than happy to help when you need it. We all have times when we need help!
- Write content that helps others.
In the midst of all this, don’t forget to write content. 🙂 It could be blog posts, podcast episodes, emails (like this one), social media posts, chapters in a book, or many other things.
Here’s the thing: everyone’s at home now. People are starving for content. You’re a writer–you create content!
Right now, in the midst of this global pandemic, you have a crazy amazing opportunity to get your writing in front of a captive audience! (Seriously–we are literally captive in our own homes!)
So don’t waste this opportunity to build your audience and impact people with your message!
I’m not tooting my own horn with any of this. Trust me, I’m a pretty average guy. But I’m very intentional about reaching out to people and using my time and my words to hopefully make a difference. You can do the same thing!
Pick one or two of these things and give it a shot this week. Let me know how it goes.
Better yet, share these tips with other people. I don’t even care if you give me credit–take my name off and put yours on if you want. I just want more writers to use their words to help others during this critical time.
