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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning. This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that if a person mentioned something important

in passing, circle back to it. When people share something about themselves, they are okay with you

knowing it. And knowing it can help you feel more connected. So we've probably all had

conversations when the other person mentioned something going on in their life while focused on

another topic. Maybe your colleague asks to reschedule a meeting because of a parent-teacher

conference at her daughter's new school.

A fellow volunteer might apologize for turning something in late,

and note that she has been behind on everything since being out of town for a funeral last week.

Your buddy from yoga might arrive late for class,

and as she is squeezing her mat into place,

mutter an explanation about her puppy, not wanting to let her out of the house.

All of this is sometimes called free information.

Tidbits of personal information people drop while they are talking about something else.

When you follow up on information like this, you show that you care, which can help build the relationship.

As you are chatting about the rescheduled meeting, you could ask your colleague if her daughter is liking her new school. You could tell

your fellow volunteer you are sorry for her loss and perhaps ask about the person who died. And after

yoga class, you could ask to see photos of the new puppy. There are some upsides to following up on

free information versus other ways of connecting.

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