“How’s it going?” “How are you doing?” “What’s Happening?”
We hear these questions and similar ones every day, but what do they mean? Does the person asking you the question really want the answer? Do they care if you are having a good day or a bad day? Will they be happy for your good day? Will they be compassionate if you are having a bad day? Or will they compete for an even better, or worse day than yours?
Recently, this question as popped up in a few conversations, which made me think that this would be an excellent topic for “The Buzz.” After all, much of what we do with REMRAF LLC includes a lot of networking; and it comes easy to me.
I have been networking for my entire career. I started in college by attending events with the local chapter of the American Marketing Association. It was a great experience and I highly recommend it to any college student starting their career. I took both written and oral communications in college. Every job position that I have held put me in a path of meeting with people from diverse backgrounds and statures. Professionally, I am not easily intimidated; however, personally, I still struggle with “The Proverbial Question” when asked. Once we get through that initial awkwardness, things get easier.
I decided to take this question to the public. Most of the opinions from casual conversation have been, “The person asking the question, doesn’t really care.” It is just an extension of saying “hello” when awkwardly meeting someone face-to-face. Some people that I asked, replied that it depends on their situation and who is asking the question. The more familiar they are with the person, they more genuine answer they will give. Others respond with some sort of generic or whimsical answer.
So what do you do?
List your favorite response in the comment section.