Being told what to do can bring out the rebel in all of us. But, there is a technique that can assist – the “but you are free” technique. Researchers asked people on the street to donate money to a cause and 10.0% contributed. However, when the researchers added the words “but you are free …
Most of us are not good at not knowing. We like sure things and guarantees. And within the brain, a sense of uncertainty about the future creates generates a strong threat or ‘alert’ response in your limbic system. Your brain detects something is wrong, and your ability to focus on other issues diminishes. This is …
It starts in the morning with questions like what shall I wear, what’s for breakfast … and then it may be what do I need to do today, how will I respond to that email, what are the next steps. Lunch becomes what do I feel like today, what errand shall I do first, why …
Our brains rely on shortcuts that simplify a hectic world. One shortcut is: “if there’s a reason, it must be valid”. When we hear or read “because” or “that’s why” it signals to our brain – hey, all good, there’s a reason. A famous study sent a researcher to a library with a copy machine. …
A lot of us choose to avoid confrontation. This means that we avoid sharing our thoughts, and can be seen as not moving fast enough, hedging our bets or not saying what we plan to do. On the other hand, there is the person who loves to confront, to challenge and to win an argument …
How good we are at communicating can only be determined by the response. So what do we do when we have a very clear objective and message, and we are not sure of the response? Introducing the ‘softener’. The most obvious softeners are ‘please’ and ‘thank you’”. They are indicators of politeness and are necessary …
We’ve all been there. We’ve just presented a great argument – we are all on the same page. And then we hear it: “This makes sense. I just need to discuss this with __________ So, it’s ok that they discuss it, it’s just, if you’d known, you would have taken a different tack. Fortunately, from …
The questions we ask ourselves, along with the questions we ask of others, have the ability to dramatically change our lives. Questions are incredibly powerful tools for effective communication. Let’s explore this by thinking about our own self-talk. Self-talk is really just a series of questions and answers. Think back to a recent time when …
We’ve previously discussed rapport building over the phone and what to start to look out for. You have a short amount of time to spend with each client, so how can you use it to get the information you need to be able to provide the best service? See how many tips you are already …
Building connection is a vital ingredient to communication. Sometimes we just ‘click’ and the conversation runs smoothly, it is enjoyable and the results are so much better than when the communication is tense and we fail to connect. So what about those of us who are always on the phone? We sometimes get feedback that …
