“The Connection Zone is a dynamic balance of energy in which people honor each other’s needs and enjoy the benefits that flow as a result”. – Sandra Strauss
Creating the Connection Zone experience is invaluable for short-term interactions to make enduring impressions (as in customer service), as well as for long-term personal and professional relationships, for sustaining their highly valued, enduring quality.
Whether it’s for the short or long term, the Connection Zone experience is achieved through good communication. You enter “the Zone” by constantly monitoring people’s universal human need to be:
- Heard and honored
- Encouraged and empowered
- Appreciated and accepted
- Respected and recognized
- Trusted and treasured
Every person you interact with has many needs that are represented in the HEART acronym. Of course, what we want or need from each other depend on the exact nature of the relationship. For instance, what wedesire from our relationships at work, with our friends and families,
within our community, and in our business transactions have many similarities. Yet, there are differences as to how we want or expect themto be fulfilled.
The following list describes in more detail some of what we want, need, or expect in various types of relationships. (This article is from the book, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” by Arnold Sanow and Sandra Strauss)
In our personal relationships, we want:
- To know that when we speak, we are heard and understood
- To have effective, open channels of communication for expressing our concerns
- To have our feelings, ideas, and opinions honored
- To be encouraged to express our authentic selves and supported in our growth and development
- To be accepted unconditionally
- To be acknowledged for the time, energy, effort, and other personal treasures we share and to be appreciated for them
- To be treated fairly and with respect
- To trust that promises and commitments will be fulfilled
- To be treasured and valued for who we are
In our working relationships, we want:
- To have effective, open channels of communication for expressing our concerns about work-related matters
- To have established procedures through which to settle differences and seek resolution
- To have our ideas and opinions heard and honored
- To feel empowered and supported in our work environment
- To be appreciated for our contributions of creativity effort, service,and competence on behalf of the organization’s mission and purpose
- To be treated fairly and with respect
- To be recognized as a competent and valued member of the organization
- To trust that promises and commitments will be fulfilled
In our business transactions we want:
- To be able to express our needs and have them honored
- To be sufficiently informed that we can make the best choices
- To be appreciated and valued for our business
- To be treated fairly and with respect
- To have confidence that products and services will be delivered in accordance with agreements, meet our expectations, and perform reliably
- To trust that promises and commitments will be fulfilled
- To air any grievances or concerns and have them heard, understood, and addresses
Paying attention to these important needs gets you to the heart of what people universally want from their connections, especially from their most significant ones. Good connections are predicated on meeting the needs and expectations of that specific relationship; fulfilling these needs puts you in the Connection Zone.
In the Zone, you explore common interests and needs, express your ideas,and talk about your concerns. Problems are quickly addressed and solutions sought and implemented. Especially for sustaining long-term connections, being in the Zone means that differences are honored and respected in a caring atmosphere of trust and support. Free of the stagnation caused by dysfunctional dynamics, the climate is right for bringing out the best in people and fostering the full expression of their gifts and talents. Everyone in the Zone benefits by feeling good about their relationships and supported in their needs.
When you focus on the HEART of what people want, need, and value, you enter the Zone and attract, sustain, and multiply dynamic relationships.It is pure joy to be in this energized space!
