Positive Conversations
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Warm and friendly leads to positive conversation results
People respond well to approaches that are warm and friendly. For most conversations it pays to intentionally choose an approach that lets the other person know you care and have their best interest at heart. A cornerstone of trust is empathy. When people believe you are caring and compassionate they will trust you more. When people like and trust you, they tend to see the best in you. When they don’t like you or trust you, they tend to see the worst in you.
The thoughts you have going into and during a conversation affect how you show up in the conversation and have an impact on the outcome. It is powerful to check your mindset before going into a conversation. You’re going to get different results going in with an intention of being warm and friendly.
Here are some ways to be more approachable.
- Smile more. You don't have to give every person you see a huge grin to be friendlier. However, it is important to use your whole face when you smile. Be sure to show it in your eyes.
- Have open body language. If you want people to feel like you're warm and open to talking to them, then you are best to present an open body language.
- Avoid distractions and focus your attention on the person you are talking to. It is honoring to put aside those things, like smart phones, that compete for your attention and be fully present.
- Make eye contact. A good technique for this is to notice the color of the other persons eyes. This causes you to look long enough to make a meaningful contact without being creepy.
- Laugh easily without forcing a laugh. People can spot a phony laugh in a heartbeat.
Please share one or more of your favored techniques for demonstrating warmth and friendliness.
You can learn more on this topic in the new book, Conversations for Results: Accelerating Performance through Conversations, available on Amazon.com in paperback, Kindle and Audible formats.