1. We Go to the Library Together, Have Lunch Together,
and Share Our Daily Lives
Since I was little, I have had many opportunities to meet friends from different cultures. I lived with a Japanese family for a while, and traveled to more than 20 countries as an exchange student. I met many people, and from this I learned sincerity is the key when starting a new relationship. When I think of them as my second family and open my mind, they too open their mind. Sharing a daily routine is the first and the most important step; for example, going to a grocery store or the library together. For foreign friends with whom you cannot communicate well, visiting their house and preparing a meal they will like are good ways to become closer: perhaps Bibimbab, a traditional Korean dish with assorted vegetables and rice for a friend who likes vegetables, or Gimbap, a Korean style sushi, for those who like salmon. When you start talking while you share recipes, you and your friend’s minds will open up to each other, and you will become a real family.
Jae Young Park (27), University Student
2. Trust comes from the workplace that is more than a place for work;
it can involve the families as well.
A workplace can be more than just a place for work;
by involving the families it can establish trust between workers as well.
Office work is difficult not because of the work, but mainly because of the relationships between people. For the past two years, I have been thinking about what would make people communicate without conflict. The answer I found was ‘take interest in little things first’. When I paid close attention to my co-workers and made a compliment like “you look good today” or “that new shirt suits you well”, it was easy to start a conversation, and there was a lot we could talk about. I would often ask how their parents are doing or what their children’s names are, and after being introduced to their spouses I would also send them cheerful messages. When I train new interns to be reporters I use this method also. The training sessions are very difficult, and about half of new reporters drop out during their training period. However, I find that when I send messages to their parents such as “your child is doing well, my thanks to you for rearing them so well,” the majority of the interns do not give up but finish the training session instead. If our workplace becomes not just a place where we work, but a place that shows concern for our beloved family then our trust between each other will grow stronger.
Yong Tae Yoon (42), Reporter
3. An Affectionate Word Begins a Good Relationship
I run an educational institute, and often some students miss classes. When I call those people to ask for their reasons for being absent, I usually ask how they are doing instead of bluntly asking for a reason. When I ask them face to face if they had any private issues or if they were not feeling well, I feel much closer to them. I learned how to talk to people based on my own experience. I, too, had times when I could not come to an appointment because my work was too busy. In such cases it was better to hear “are you busy”, or “are you having hard time at work? I miss you. Let’s have a dinner some time” than a blunt, accusing question like “why didn’t you come?” When I ask students whether or not they had lunch, or tell them feel free to have something from the refrigerator and treat them with ease, they say they feel very comfortable, as if they are around a family member, and they come to classes more often. And even when they cannot come, they call in advance to tell me not to worry. It may seem like a small thing but a single word said with caring can bring people together.
Ju Sung Song (50), Head of a Private Educational Institute
Opening a New Channel
to a Wider and More Diverse Relationship among People
SNS: communication by the people and for the people
Young Dae Song Head of Happiness Management Research Center. @SongYoungDae
Social Networking Services(SNS) are becoming more than a trend;
they are now a central part of our lifestyle.
Many people communicate through SNS such as Facebook, Blogster, and Twitter.
I myself started using Twitter last February.
When I ended my fifteen years of service as an IT engineer
and started the second chapter of life as an entrepreneur, Twitter became a very helpful partner.
I met role models and mentors through Twitter,
from whom I am continuously learning and receiving priceless advice.
Twitter gives an environment for ordinary people to easily communicate, through short messages called tweets, with celebrities whom they respect and want to be close to, but otherwise could not. Therefore, it widens people’s perspective on the world, breaking the wall they have lived behind. It is people who make the world of SNS. So here are a few ways to form a healthy online relationship.
Read and
Respond
Learn and
Share
Make a
meaningful
communication
Although the connection between people tends to not be very strong on Twitter, you could use the service for self-development and actually form strong, meaningful relationships with your new friends, making Twitter into a magic lantern to call on them for their help to achieve whatever you want. But you must remember that sincerity is the key among people even in online relationships.
