PROVE IT

Writers have heard this so many times it's a tired cliche: "show don't tell." But people responsible for any sort of engagement/marketing/communications/customer service need to start hearing the same thing.

Don't bother telling me my input is important, or my feedback is valued or you know my time is valuable. First off, those are platitudes that have become nearly meaningless. But second, I'd rather you just show me.

Because if you tell me that stuff but what happens next shows me otherwise you're doing two things:

1) showing me that my input isn't actually important to you, my feedback isn't valued or my time is worthless to you; and

2) showing me that you're perfectly comfortable lying to me.