For those of you who are avid advice seekers, take note. You know who you are, the people who never make a decision without consulting a jury of friends to give you further direction. And that is perfectly fine, as long as you do it right. The trick is to be a good listener and take into consideration other’s opinions. Then there are the advice givers. These are the people who are always the ones who get to hear everyone’s problems. I am here to give you advice seekers some valuable insight on how to ask for advice and how to do it tactfully.Â
You Need to Listen as Well
Even though you are always getting advice from these people, they are people too and they have issues that they would like some insight on as well. Too many people think it’s ok to pour out all their problems onto someone and never listen in return when the advice giver might have something they want to talk about too. It is important to be a good friend and listen to them as well.Â
Don’t Push Off Their Advice if You Are the One Asking for it
Don’t forget that you are the one asking for advice. If you are constantly are asking this person to give you their opinion on the matter, it would be disrespectful not to listen to their advice. They are being nice enough to hear you out and tell you what they think is best, the least you can do is consider what they are telling you. Be respectful and attentive when they are giving you their advice; don’t just use them for a listening ear.Â
Don’t Try to Correct Their Advice and Opinions
Too often after giving my advice to someone, they will try to correct me. It makes me want to never give my advice again. Don’t try to tell people what to think. This applies to many other situations as well. If you are going to be the advice seeker, be the advice seeker. It is bad form to correct someone else’s advice especially when they are just trying to help you.
If you follow these three handy tips, you can successfully gain advice as well as respect out of your friends. It is important to be a thoughtful person when you are asking friends their opinions on your life issues, and being grateful for their guidance.Â