in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 18 ,2 02 2 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satis- fied, write The National New- sMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca insidehalton@metroland.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Neil Oliver Vice President, Content, Community and Operations Dana Robbins Regional General Manager Jason Pehora Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Directors of Advertising Cindi Campbell and Graeme MacIntosh Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-845-3824 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Advertising: 289-293-0620 Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. Letters to the editor Send letters to insidehalton@metroland.com. All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at insidehalton.com OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM A great blue heron relaxes on a dock along 16 Mile Creek. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Noreen Higgins photo SNAPSHOT Recent results of mys- tery shoppers provided Canada's banks with mixed messages, according to In- vestment Executive. Three out of every four shoppers reported having a positive experience. But many shoppers had a negative experience with inappropriate product rec- ommendations, confusing and misleading disclo- sures, sales pressure and a lack of knowledge from the employee. Inappropriate product recommendations were re- portedly experienced by one out of every three shoppers inquiring about a chequing account. Almost half of the shoppers claim to have found inappropriate recom- mendations when inquiring about credit cards. This research by the Fi- nancial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) was re- leased in May. The FCAC said "bank workers need to be trained to make recommendations that meet consumer's needs, without pressuring them to accept products they do not need or under- stand. Employee sales tar- gets and incentives should not conflict with these ob- jectives." The quality of service cannot just be judged by the personality of the per- son with whom you speak. It is all about the quality of the recommendations. The part of the survey I found most interesting was the shoppers came away with a pleasant experience, but as for the important as- pects, there was much lack- ing in the quality of ser- vice. It's important that ev- eryone be their own per- sonal advocate. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Only investment-related products and services are offered through Watson Securities of ACPI. Watson provides wealth manage- ment services through Watson Investments. He can be reached at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. WHEN SHOPPING FOR FINANCIAL PRODUCTS, BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE PETER WATSON Column MELANIE MCGREGOR Column "Accept" and "validate" -- two keys to showing em- pathy and helping others feel heard. Another is ensuring that we balance normaliz- ing -- reducing stigma or shame through reassur- ance -- with focusing on others as individuals. Imagine you have a friend stressed out with work and home life. The deadlines, kids' activities and house tasks seem over- whelming, and they are run down. A great response to vali- date their feelings would be something like, "I'm sure lots of people in your situation feel that way." Your intention is to com- municate "your feelings are understandable." But they may perceive it as, "You're not unique, so get over it." That's not your inten- tion, but messages can get misconstrued. What can we do to avoid normalizing being mistak- en for dismissal? It comes down to con- necting what others may feel in the same situation with this person's unique experience. Many of us question our feelings and wonder if they're "OK," so we want to help them feel less inse- cure and also encourage talking about their own sit- uation. Let's get back to your friend. What about starting with a big-picture state- ment, something like, "I'm sure lots of people in your situation may feel that way," and then adding a question or something on a more personal level, such as, "What are you strug- gling with the most?" They can feel reassured that they're not alone and also talk about their indi- vidual experience. Here are some other suggestions for striking this balance: • "Given what you're ex- periencing, it's not surpris- ing you're stressed. What do you think might be help- ful for you?" • "I hear that you're over- whelmed -- I'm sure many people would be in your sit- uation. Tell me more about what's happening." • "I have other friends who have felt this way too and said they didn't have any time for themselves. Are you finding that too?" • "It sounds like this is hard for you -- I totally get it. What can I do to help?" Give it a try -- it's anoth- er tool for showing empa- thy, and there can never be too many of those. Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch, which provides mental health/ addiction community sup- port and education. Visit www.halton.cmha.ca for more information and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter. AVOID DISMISSIVE REPLIES WHEN TRYING TO HELP MAKE SURE THE OTHER PERSON TRULY FEELS HEARD, WRITES MELANIE MCGREGOR SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM