#RelationshipsMatter – Message Someone You Haven’t Seen in Years

Friends come and go. It is a natural part of life. We grow up. We move. We change jobs. Throughout it all, the one constant is usually change. Occasionally, you may want to reach out to an old friend, or colleague, but navigating this process can be cumbersome. However, you can reconnect in so many ways, from social mediamessaging to good old fashioned hand written letters. If you want to kick it old school, you could even pick up the phone and make a call.  

There is always a reason to reconnect with someone, whether it is just to re-kindle a friendship or make a business connection. Once you know your reason then it’s time to do a little research to help guide your interactions and avoid possible awkwardness. Keep in mind the reason why you lost contact, it may be awkward to reconnect if the reason you stopped communicating in the first place was a bad one.

You may have known the individual very well a few years ago, but are you in the same place you were then? More than likely not and neither are they. Take a peek through their social profiles to see what they have been up to and what is currently going on in their life. You may find an opening to use to get in touch with them. Popping a Happy Birthday message across and following up or commenting on a picture are both great ways of softly reconnecting.

The simplest way to reconnect with someone is by sending them a message, but avoid the generic ‘HI, how are you?’ lines as this usually leads to a short awkward conversation. Using your research try sending a more detailed question such as ‘Hi, saw you went to Hawaii this year. Did you have a great time? I went last year and stayed at (hotel name). Where did you stay?’. You are opening a channel of conversation based around a common topic. This could easily lead to branching out into other topics and building your friendship again.

If you are looking to connect with an old colleague the utilize some memories of working together, or find something that you know will interest them to share. Avoid coming across as a cheesy car salesman pushing a proposal that may not even tie in with their current activities. 

Reconnecting and building new relationships with people can be nerve wracking for some and does not always pan out but taking that risk and sending them a message does not cost anything and could result be socially beneficial. The holiday season is a great time to reach out and wish people well and ask how they are doing.

Who will you reconnect with this week?