Help Me Understand …
“Help me understand … ”
This is by far one of my favorite phrases. It's like the Swiss army knife of sentence starters.
“Help me understand … what happened that made you so upset."
“Help me understand … why you haven't cleaned your room yet.”
“Help me understand … how your brother wound up with gum in his hair.”
“Help me understand … what I could do differently next time.”
“Help me understand … how things went sideways.”
“Help me understand … why I was left off this email chain.”
You get the picture.
It's straightforward and it leaves place to learn something and have our assumptions challenged. It's a great phrase to keep in your pocket for just about any situation.
I'm keeping it short and sweet today, and just leaving you with this one phrase and some homework (see below). But if you're looking for a little more, check out “the help me understand podcast” with JK McLeod …
However you choose to embrace the phrase, I hope it's helpful. Your homework today is to use “help me understand” at least once this week. Then drop me a line and let me know how it goes. I can't wait to hear the stories!