Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

Good morning. This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast Podcast.

Today's tip is to ask for more information.

There is no harm in clarifying things whenever anyone asks for a favor.

You can make sure everyone is spending their time wisely.

Including you.

Today's tip, like others this week, comes from my friend Dory Clark's new book, The Long Game.

How to be a long-term thinker in a short-term world.

Dory hardly recommends connecting with lots of people.

However, when we pack our schedules completely full, it's hard to have space to think and create.

The answer to this dilemma is to make sure that you are connecting with people when you can be most helpful.

So, when people ask to connect, follow up.

Ask why they want to connect.

Here's a script Dory suggests.

I'd love to see if I can be helpful.

Can you tell me a bit more about what you'd like to discuss and how I can be useful to you in particular?

Yes, this prolongs the email or phone exchange, but this does a few things.

First, some chunk of disorganized people will never follow up.

This lets you concentrate your energy on the people who are going to make use of your time together.

Second, you want to be sure that what the person needs help with is something you can do.

If they are looking for advice on breaking into public relations, but that's not actually what you do, good to know before both of you have that awkward conversation.

...