In an age of information overload where we are constantly having to compete for attention, the ability to tell stories that have an emotional and intellectual impact is a critical skill.
Think about the last meeting or presentation you attended or Ted talk you watched, what did you remember, what did you repeat?
The story! Especially if the story related to you or triggered you to reflect on your own similar experience.
Talking about first impressions. Have you ever watched two young children meet each other for the first time? They are usually introduced, look each other warily up and down for a few seconds and then one says something like, “Do you want to go and play on the trampoline?” Sometimes, prompted or not, it is off they go. Give them exactly three minutes and they are chatting and playing away,
Take a moment and think back to the last time you did or said something out of anger or frustration. Something that, on reflection, you wish you hadn’t done.
It’s in those moments that each and every one of us needs to become acutely aware of our internal monitoring system. Think of it as your own personal feedback system, an internal gauge that signals it’s time to pause, breathe and think about what you are about to say or do.
If you have ever attended a Greater Impact Workshop you will have heard the phrase that EVERYTHING you do and say communicates. The way you are perceived is the culmination of many factors. Key amongst these is your ability to relate to others in the most effective, powerful and gracious way. And even more revealing is how you navigate the inevitable interpersonal conflicts that arise in the workplace from time to time.
Not surprisingly,
