How to Anticipate Others' Needs
Know your friends and their current situations., Check in on your friends., Observe body language., Remember your friends' complaints., Put all the clues together., Make sure you're not overbearing.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know your friends and their current situations.
Maybe one of your friends had just lost her dog.
Maybe another one of your friends is in the process of moving.
Maybe someone is just really stressed with school.
If you know what each of your friends are going through, you'll have some ideas of the support they will need.
To take it a step further, you can research how to respond to each situation.
If one of your friends has just found out her parents are getting a divorce, you can look up ways to support someone whose parents are going through a divorce. -
Step 2: Check in on your friends.
Ask them how they are doing every morning you see them and scan their facial expressions periodically.
This will tell you if they are content or upset.
Don't mistake boredom or just resting face for unhappiness.
You may want to research facial expressions before trying this. , You can often tell if someone is unhappy or needs something by the way they act.
Sometimes it's obvious.
If they are tearfully trying to carry a large stack of textbooks and finish the homework they procrastinated on at the same time, they obviously could use a bit of help.
Sometimes it may not be as obvious, however.
Not eating much lunch could be a sign something is wrong, but you'll need to be observant to notice those kinds of details.
Some details you could notice throughout the day.
Rapid blinking, followed a few hours later by sitting staring into space, could signify that your friend is tired. , If your friend complained earlier in the morning that she forgot money for lunch, then you see her later looking sick, you'll immediately know what she needs: lunch money.
If your friend complains that his mom has been working long hours at the office and you later see him hanging around after school, it's obvious he needs a ride home. , Combine your knowledge of your friends' current situations, their current well-being, their body language and actions, and earlier complaints to make an educated guess what's bugging them and what you can do to help.
If all else fails, you can just ask. , Your friends wil all get annoyed if you're constantly breathing down their necks, asking if they're okay and trying to offer them things they don't need.
If you do it at the right times though, everyone will love having you around- and you'll love the smiles you cause. -
Step 3: Observe body language.
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Step 4: Remember your friends' complaints.
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Step 5: Put all the clues together.
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Step 6: Make sure you're not overbearing.
Detailed Guide
Maybe one of your friends had just lost her dog.
Maybe another one of your friends is in the process of moving.
Maybe someone is just really stressed with school.
If you know what each of your friends are going through, you'll have some ideas of the support they will need.
To take it a step further, you can research how to respond to each situation.
If one of your friends has just found out her parents are getting a divorce, you can look up ways to support someone whose parents are going through a divorce.
Ask them how they are doing every morning you see them and scan their facial expressions periodically.
This will tell you if they are content or upset.
Don't mistake boredom or just resting face for unhappiness.
You may want to research facial expressions before trying this. , You can often tell if someone is unhappy or needs something by the way they act.
Sometimes it's obvious.
If they are tearfully trying to carry a large stack of textbooks and finish the homework they procrastinated on at the same time, they obviously could use a bit of help.
Sometimes it may not be as obvious, however.
Not eating much lunch could be a sign something is wrong, but you'll need to be observant to notice those kinds of details.
Some details you could notice throughout the day.
Rapid blinking, followed a few hours later by sitting staring into space, could signify that your friend is tired. , If your friend complained earlier in the morning that she forgot money for lunch, then you see her later looking sick, you'll immediately know what she needs: lunch money.
If your friend complains that his mom has been working long hours at the office and you later see him hanging around after school, it's obvious he needs a ride home. , Combine your knowledge of your friends' current situations, their current well-being, their body language and actions, and earlier complaints to make an educated guess what's bugging them and what you can do to help.
If all else fails, you can just ask. , Your friends wil all get annoyed if you're constantly breathing down their necks, asking if they're okay and trying to offer them things they don't need.
If you do it at the right times though, everyone will love having you around- and you'll love the smiles you cause.
About the Author
Timothy Robinson
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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