Three years ago, a woman in her late 80s called me. She’d previously worked with three computer teachers who weren’t the right fit. They talked too fast, used language she didn’t understand, and one even talked down to her. Plus, none of them backed up her computer and she lost everything.
She needed to learn how to email but was scared. She wanted 30-minute lessons -- I always work by the hour but I could hear the concern in her voice. I scheduled a half hour.
After the first two 30-minutes sessions, she knew an hour made more sense. We worked slowly for 60 minutes at a time. Little by little, she was getting comfortable with me.
After two months of weekly lessons, she greeted me at the door and said, “This is the first time I haven’t dreaded our lesson.” I know a backhanded compliment when I hear one – it was one step up from she didn’t hate me.
We are still working together. She wants to learn everything from the difference between cc’ing and bcc’ing, email etiquette, and how to order a book on Amazon, find a TED Talk, and, as of last week, listen to podcasts.
Remember when she wanted to work for only 30-minutes at a time and dreaded seeing me? We now work for three hours at a time and this is how she signed her holiday card: “Happy New Year! With awesome appreciation… and besides that you are truly a blessing. Your skills are a treasure chest for me and your sense of humor is an added joy.”
I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love it when they don’t dread me.
Nancy Spear Nancy's Tech Help for Older Adults 310-365-9951 • info@nancys-tech-help.com • www.nancys-tech-help.com