This is mostly a reminder for myself, but I figured someone else might find my random thought helpful.
Sometimes, we get so bogged down in tackling the big tasks, we forget that it’s often the smallest gestures that make the biggest difference. As co-moderator of the #pr20chat, I (along with my partner in crime Justin Goldsborough) am always looking for new opportunities to bring additional voices into in the conversation. A couple weeks ago, we decided to send personal invites (via direct message) to some chat participants. We reached out to some regulars, as well as some people who hadn’t joined us in a while. I was amazed by the feedback I received from that simple act. Two takeaways:
- Sometimes people just need an invitation. There’s something to be said for receiving an actual personal invitation to participate in an event — as opposed to an all-encompassing invite broadcast to the masses. We received many replies to our DMs from people thanking me for reaching out and personally inviting them to the conversation.
- People are busy. Reminders work. We’re all busy, and sometimes life just gets in the way. With so many events to attend, blog posts to read and work to be done, it’s impossible to do everything all the time. Sometimes you just forget. Plain and simple. And that’s why a quick, non-spammy reminder works.
Whether it’s hand-written thank-you notes, personalized DMs or a phone call just to check in, those little things matter — in our personal and professional lives.
What are some of your favorite high-value, low-cost gestures?