Whenever you’re talking with a client, use “we” and “us” not “you” and “your.”
Say, “how are WE going to solve this problem?” not “How are YOU going to solve this problem?”
This may sound like semantics, but it matters for two reasons:
- When your client feels alone facing the problem that they’ve hired you to help with, using language that shows that you’re climbing in to the same leaky boat with them is a big comfort to them.
- When you start using language that makes their problems your problems too, it reminds you that these actually are your problems too! It really is “we” or you won’t have a job anymore! This helps to properly reorient your thinking towards reality.