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A guilty pleasure I happen to enjoy to the fullest is people watching. I genuinely like sitting in public places and just observing people interact with one another.

For me, it is an opportunity to appreciate that good people come in all shapes and sizes. Ethnicity, geography, culture, fashion, etc. are all relative when you zero in on the interactions.

Recently, I was waiting for a table at a restaurant and engaged in another round of people watching when I happened to overhear a woman talking about a meeting she had earlier that day with her supervisor. (Yes, sometimes people watching leads to eavesdropping. But they are strangers to me, so I feel comfortable filing my poor manners under the heading “no harm, no foul.”)

It had apparently been a very positive meeting for this woman, as evidenced by her facial expressions and enthusiastic tone. What really caught my attention, though, was that she kept repeating the phrase, “I am just so grateful he took an interest in me.”

I knew exactly what she was she was feeling.

Having someone take an interest in you is such a powerful experience. You feel bonded to them in a unique way. You find yourself wanting to please them, and going out of your way to not let them down.

If you have ever had a favorite teacher, coach, or boss, you understand.

From a teammate perspective, taking an interest in a fellow teammate is actually one of the keys to being a good teammate.

Doing so is a relatively easy endeavor and can be accomplished with minimal effort. However, conveying your interest can sometimes be challenging.

With that in mind, here are five simple ways to convey interest in a teammate:

1. LEAN FORWARD. Body language matters. In fact, sociologists consistently point out that body language accounts for more than half of all communication, and leaning forward is the most likely posture to convey interest. When a teammate is speaking to you, and you lean forward, you let him or her know you are receptive, if not eager, to hear what is being said.

2. NOD YOUR HEAD. As your teammate is speaking, nod your head. This gesture doesn’t necessarily send the message that you are agreeing with what is being said, as much as it lets the speaker know you are listening and trying to process the message. The real value to nodding your head, however, is in the encouragement it gives the speaker to keep going. By simply nodding your head, you can encourage teammates to go further and share deeper thoughts than they otherwise would have. I know from personal experience, whenever I am speaking to an audience and I notice someone in the crowd nodding their head, I feel like I am making a connection and grow increasingly inspired.

3. ASK QUESTIONS. What reinforces interest more than curiosity? Not much. When you ask follow up questions, you let your teammates know you heard what they said…and you want to know more. Of course, no question does this better than Why? Allowing a teammate to answer Why? questions can empower them to feel like an expert and give you an insightful glimpse into their psyche.

4. OFFER SUMMATIONS. Whenever your teammates pause to take a breath, reiterate back to them what they just said to you. In keeping with the previous point of asking questions, you can even phrase your summation in the form of a question and achieve the same result. For example:

Speaker: “I have never worn the red shirt.”

You: “So, you’ve never worn the red shirt?”

Summations let the speaker know you are listening and reassure him or her that is OK to divulge more.

5. REVISIT. Allow some time to pass—maybe a few hours or even a few days—and then circle back to the topic of your previous conversation. If your teammate talked to you about a problem they were having with another teammate, ask how things are working out and if they are getting any better. If the topic of your conversation was dog grooming, print off an article you came across about tips for selecting a new dog groomer and share it with your teammate. A small gesture like that can pay big dividends and go a long way towards making you a better teammate.

As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.

Lance Loya is the founder and CEO of the Good Teammate Factory. He is a college basketball coach turned author, blogger, and professional speaker, who inspires TEAMBUSTERS to become TEAMMATES. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or through his weekly Teammate Tuesday blog.

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