Trust-Building Communication Techniques From a $200K+ Business Degree

I just graduated from the two-year Stanford MBA program — a program with a lower acceptance rate than Harvard Business School.

While I came to Stanford to pivot into a new career, I was surprised by how much I learned about building trusting relationships. I took one of the most famous electives, popularly called “Touchy Feely”, where I met weekly with thirteen others to talk about feelings.

We learned about how to connect with others.

The communication techniques we learned help you:

  • Develop deeper relationships
  • Feel a sense of connection and belonging
  • Get others to follow you as a leader at work
  • Collaborate across teams and departments to execute on big projects

Here’s what I learned.

Stay On Your Side of “The Net”

“I know you think you look smart when you refer to these books, but…” said a dear friend.

I felt annoyed. What did she know about what I was thinking? I hadn’t said anything about thinking I looked smart.

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