As a professional speaker and training consultant, I am always looking for new ideas or wanting to confirm old ones. I have always known that I can easily remember seven numbers but struggle after that without chunking or writing them down. It seems there is something to the number seven.
In ‘Hardwired Humans’, a book on using human instincts as a leader, Andrew O’keefe presents a compelling case for making sure your first seven words are carefully chosen. This can be in person or on the telephone. People can tune out quickly if your first words don’t interest or benefit them. This also applies to your first seven seconds when speaking although people may tune out after only two or three seconds.
If you want to improve your presentation skills or your influencing skills significantly, remember that first impressions are critical and that you only have seven words or seven seconds. Choose what you say very, very carefully.
