If only this sort of advice had been available when I started work.
We blame the Internet and social media for a lot of things. But the sheer shoutiness of social, the cacophony of voices over hundreds of channels, has forced us to rethink the fundamentals of communication.
This article summarises many of them perfectly including how to give advice. Actually, it's more about not giving advice.
It's about avoiding phrases like, "if I were you". Of course I'm not you. I can't possibly be you. I can't get inside your head and be you for a day.
Too much advice is about 'me', not about you. It's more about me taking the opportunity to humble-brag. "You know, when I was in your situation, I did this..."
That's not to say that advice isn't useful. It's the delivery mechanism that matters. It means dissolving the ego and moving to another plane of understanding.
In other words, knowing how to convey wisdom is the greatest wisdom of all. Have a read of the article. It's full of good advice!
That your help is free doesn’t mean others will take it. Moreover, when people receive coaching they didn’t request, they feel uneasy rather than appreciative. Getting into someone else’s business is delicate. If someone hasn’t opened the door of his confidence, tread carefully. You could jeopardize the trust that person has on you. If you jump too fast into a conclusion, a friend can feel that you don’t know her that well. Or that the advice you are providing is neither relevant to her nor genuine. In most cases, when people say they want to talk to you is because they want to do the talking. Your role is to listen, not to take over.
https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-best-advice-you-can-ever-give-b89bbdb308db
