Fix-It Frank Kills Connection

Fix-It Frank kills connection at home, at work...everywhere.

Let me give you an example from earlier this week.

On Tuesday evening, I was part of a Zoom happy hour. The conversation prompt was to talk about something that was a challenge.

During my turn, I described a complicated relationship that is causing me to second-guess myself a lot.

I hadn't even finished my thought when she jumped in, full of Fix-It Frank insights, "You should just..."

My eyes glazed over and I absorbed her know-it-all energy, mentally grinding in silence: "You have no idea...yep, already tried that..." as I waited for her to finish.

For the rest of the time, I was quietly polite and generally withdrawn. Her lack of ability to actually hear me (and not just try to fix me) profoundly reduced the remainder of our interaction.

Less advice, more listening. In a pinch, default to this phrase, "Tell me more..." It will almost always serve you better than rushing in with a "You should...."