A Communication Deal Breaker

Have you ever been having a lunch conversation with someone and they seem distracted? They may be glancing at other people or worse yet they keep looking at their cell phone at incoming text or email. How does that make you feel? Recently, I introduced my wife to a gentleman and he stuck out his hand, grabbed three of her fingers, never took his eyes off of his phone and walked away with barely an acknowledgment of her presence. It will be very difficult for this man to reverse that first impression, especially since he was completely unaware that he did anything wrong. Non-verbal communication represents more than two-thirds of all communication. In order to communicate with anyone effectively we must give them our full attention. Making good eye contact is one of the best ways you can show your interest, warmth and regulate the flow of communication.  Other ways you communicate is through your facial expressions, posture, gestures and voice quality. In Dale Carnegie's book,  How to Win Friends and Influence People, he summarized six ways to make people like you: Become genuinely interested in other people. Smile. Remember that a man's Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. Talk in the terms of the other man's interest. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely. This week when you are meeting with your customers, talking with friends or your family,  remember to put your phone away, turn off the TV and show how much you care by focusing on them. "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said" ~ Peter Drucker Have a great week! Pierce