Last week, I took a train from Frankfurt to Nuremberg. Ten minutes into the journey, before I was asked for my ticket, an attendant asked, “Would you like something to drink?” I was happy to request water. But his second question is what stuck with me: “Are you hungry?”

Not, “What can I get you?” or “Do you want to see a menu?” but, “Are you hungry?”

There’s something familial about asking the question that way. Kind. Connected. Needs-oriented.

A simple interaction with a Deutsche Bahn employee, and I felt cared for.

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The way we ask — the way we offer services — it makes a difference.

With the right words, a transaction can become an encounter.