Ryan's weekly tip for homeless, mentally ill and addicted patrons, 9/18/18

From Ryan Dowd, 10:02 AM:

Since I live near Chicago, I have several friends who have worked for Oprah Winfrey.  They all talk about how Oprah is an amazing listener.  One producer told me, “When you talk to Oprah, she REALLY listens in a way that no one has ever listened to you before.  It is like you are the only person in the world and listening to you is the only thing she wants to be doing at that moment.  It is truly amazing when Oprah listens to you.” So, I want you to be like Oprah and listen.  Don’t interrupt your homeless patrons. Don’t talk over your homeless patrons.  Homeless individuals don’t like to be interrupted or talked over any more than you do.  In fact, homeless individuals like it even less than you do because they are constantly interrupted.  When a homeless patron wants to explain to you why he broke a rule, give him a minute to plead his case.  Listening to him does not mean you have to agree with him.  It is miraculous how often just the mere act of listening calms the other person down.  Just last week I had an angry resident complain to me that he was kicked out of our homeless shelter.  I let him vent and complain for about ten minutes.  I didn’t say a word.  When he was done talking, he took a deep breath, thanked me for my time and left.  He never even asked me to reduce his time out. He just wanted someone to listen! In fact, the mere act of listening can convert an enemy into a friend.  So few people take the time to listen to homeless people, that a simple courtesy can make a homeless patron into your biggest fan.  It is a lot easier to solve problems when someone is your fan!

Have a great week! Peace, Ryan www.homelesslibrary.com