Strange name for a very powerful influence.
Imagine if someone asked if your neighbourhood was safe. You would think of examples of unsafe and probably come up with none. In my case, I cannot think of anything that has happened to me that I would call unsafe. I would answer that my neighbourhood is safe based on the availability of examples that come to mind. Quick decision.
Another way would be to contact the police and get the stats for our suburb. This would take longer and would reveal a different picture as it would include everything that has been reported to the police. Both methods are good. The first is quick and could be easily derailed by a single recent incident. Visitors might think an entire city is unsafe because of the behaviour of one drunk. One negative incident can make an entire neighbourhood seem unsafe to the quick brain. One incident would not make much difference to the slower brain. One incident is insignificant in a suburb with hundreds of thousands of people… unless it happens near you.
So what’s this got to do with public speaking or influencing others?
If people judge you with their quick brain, your appearance, voice, accent, vocabulary, age, gender and nationality… matter.
If the slower brain is activated, these are not so important. What you say and do is more important. Your past achievements matter. You go beyond what is immediately available or presented.
So… when meeting others as individuals or as an audience make sure you do all you can to make a good first impression. Listen, make eye contact, focus on the others’ needs. Once you have made contact, you can progress to displaying your competence and credentials. You can explain how you can benefit the other.
Remember you have two hurdles, one quick and sometimes superficial. It can also be a very fine tuned intuition. The slower brain follows and is more logical and analytical. You can now sell yourself and your ability to assist the other. If you fall at the first hurdle, it is unlikely you will get to the second.
If you need help with improving your Influencing Skills or Public Speaking, contact me. I can assist with training and coaching in both areas.
Paddy Spruce
