Over break I was on a phone call with two of my close friends. Their name are Jordan and Jonah, and Jordan and I have been in agreement that our friend Jonah should go to a different school, specifically his school. Jonah is a Christian and he is finishing up his freshman year at Grand Valley which is a decently big school in Michigan. Jordan goes to a small school similar to Grove City College called Boyce College located in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a small Christian school and Grand Valley is a big secular school. The three of us grew up in the same church together for 18 years so we are very close, and we want the best for each other. Jordan and I are in agreement that Jonah would thrive at a Christian college and that its not too late for him to switch schools. We think Jonah would benefit greatly if he went to Boyce. Jordan and I weren’t exactly sure why he chose to go to Grand Valley, but we did know that a big factor was that his now ex-girlfriend was going there as well, and we figured that was a big reason. Now that they weren’t together we weren’t sure what was keeping him at that school, and I don’t think Jonah even knew what was keeping him at that school.
With all that being said, I began to ask Jonah a lot of questions to find a few key pieces of information. One, I wanted to find “pain”, what he wanted out of school, what he felt like he was and wasn’t getting out of the school he was going to. And two, I wanted to find out what roadblocks or challenges were preventing him from leaving his school. I wouldn’t have approached this situation in a way like this if it wasn’t for this class, and I thought it was super cool because I was able to pry information out of him and then with Jordan was able to show him that Boyce had some big things he desired and showed him the benefits. I was able to give relevant information to Jonah based off of what he had told me.
RMcIlwain
That’s a great example of how we can apply all of these ideas from this class to a real life, non-sales selling kind of situation. I think asking questions the way you did is a great way to get friends to realize things themselves without you actually having to tell them straight out. It’s also a great example of trying to find the right fit, since the whole reason we finalize a decision to go to a college is because we think it’s the right fit/what God wants for us. Great post!
Brayden, I think it’s really cool how you applied what we’ve been learning to a real-life conversation with your friends. You did a great job focusing on Jonah’s needs first instead of just pushing your idea on him. It’s a great example of how asking the right questions and listening carefully can actually open the door to real, meaningful influence. You weren’t just trying to convince him—you were helping him see a better fit based on what he truly wanted.
p.s. tell Jordan I say hi that guy is a dog