Them: “Hi, how are you”?
You: “Fine thanks, and you?”
Eeek! Boring! Let’s rewind, shall we?
Today I’m going to teach you the best way to answer “how are you?”
I get this question a lot from second language learners of English asking me how to a respond to “how are you” but even people whose first language is English should listen in because so many people use the generic “fine thanks and you” … as a response.
Responding with a robotic “fine thanks and you?” is superficial, forgettable, and vague.
So today Explearners, we’re talking about how to respond to “how are you” in a way that is 3 things: authentic, memorable, and specific.
This will make you a savvy and tactful communicator who’s authentic.
And authenticity seems to be rare these days so we need to make an effort to be our real selves.
The first thing you need to do is pause to think. This will allow you to be authentic, memorable, and specific and stop yourself from blurting out something generic. Right, we don’t want to not lose touch with our humanity, Explearners.
To Be Authentic
Steer clear from the automated responses, be a human not a robot!
To Be Memorable
You can achieve this by coming up with something that is so different from how people generally answer this question.
To Be Specific
This can be referring to something currently going on in your life, or in that specific situation.
Let’s see this in action in 3 different settings work, school, with close friends.
At work:
Coworker: How are you?
You: You know something, now that we closed that deal, I’m feeling pretty fantastic. I hope you’re feeling good too?
At school:
Classmate: How are you?
You: I’m doing ok, exams are taking a lot out of me. But I feel better that you checked in with me. How is exam week treating you?
With close friends:
Best friend: How are you?
You: Well I’m even better now that I get to see your smiling face. How’s your YouTube channel going – I watch all of your videos!
Replying to “how are you” in an authentic, memorable, and specific way allows you to connect human to human on a more meaningful level. There’s depth to this answer.
Try this out on the next person who asks “how are you” and you’ll be amazed by how much richer your interactions with them become!
Add this strategy to your communication toolbox and watch your communication become more authentic.
I’ll see you in the next lesson😊
Happy Explearning🐝
About the Author and the Explearning Academy:
Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.
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