Someone recently asked me what I thought was most surprising about how people communicate.
A great question!
How would you answer it?
I reflected a few seconds and then said this:
“My biggest surprise is this… We all know how critical first impressions are. Yet most comms’ first impressions are really bad”
And then I gave examples, including:
- A meeting’s first impression is the invitation. But often they have poor titles (“meeting”, “update”), no agenda (or a boring one), no benefit of attending…
- An email’s first impression is its subject line. Well, you can quickly see how boring most subject lines are, by reviewing your inbox right now
- A presentation’s first impression is the presenter’s opening words, coupled with the title on slide #1. But most opening words are uninspiring. And most titles are boring descriptions of what follows (“Project 12 Update”, “Credentials Presentation”, “Excel Intermediate”), with no mention of why the audience will benefit from hearing it
- When networking, your first impression is your elevator pitch. But most focus on boring stuff like job titles (“I’m an accountant”), not the impact we cause (“I help my clients pay a lot less tax”)
- A salesperson’s first impression is their opening sentence in a client meeting. But they tend to start with “Thank you for your time”. But customers want them to be valuable – not grateful!
Although these first impressions are surprising, they’re easy to fix:
- Simply ask yourself “what will my audience find most interesting/beneficial about this?”
- And then say this #1 thing early
For example:
- If a meeting will help attendees to hit their targets for this month, call it “Meeting to agree the best way to hit your targets for this month”
- If an email contains a quick question about Project 12, use the subject line “Project 12 – a quick question to ask…”
- If presenting, add their main benefit on Slide #1. So under the title “Excel Intermediate”, your subtitle might say “How to save two hours every week. Forever”. Also, your opening sentence is disproportionately important. So make sure you nail it!
- When networking, ensure your Elevator Pitch focuses on the impact you cause (“I help my clients pay a lot less tax”)
- And salespeople… after your quick rapport-build, start with “I’ve been looking forward to our meeting. Last week, you told me your priority is to (achieve X). I’ve done some research and found 2-3 new ways you can achieve this. Please can I share them with you?”
Which makes this week’s…
…Action Point
For your very next communication, spend at least 10 seconds identifying the best way to give a great first impression.
Win them then, and everything should be fine.
But lose them, and then…