PORTLAND, Ore.–You have seven seconds to pass the test—and keep in mind that most people fail.
Those are the same seven seconds that can “change your life,” according to Allison Clarke–as well as change those of credit union members.
Clarke, a leadership training and presentation expert, told the Northwest Credit Union Association’s Amplify meeting that those seven seconds represent the time when two people meet each other, and not always for the first time. It can be the seven seconds two people meet at work, or the seven seconds when an MSR meets a member, or it can be seven seconds of social interaction.
Very often when two parties meet each wants to be heard and to have an affect, and Clarke focused her attention on strategies for getting both accomplished, pointing to research that 80% of everything a person hears each day is forgotten within 24 hours.
“More people charge their phones than charge themselves,” said Clarke. “We need to ensure people are paying attention. When you are part of a group photo, what is the first thing you look at? Yourself. People are thinking about themselves. So how can you be more respectful to people as well as ensure other people are listening to you?”
To answer that question, Clarke had attendees at the Amplify meeting rate themselves across a number of areas, including how they start and close conversations (not good at it? Practice, urged Clarke), as well as how personal body language strikes other people.
“Body language is so powerful that often we aren’t listening to people because we are looking at their body language,” said Clarke. “Everywhere you go you are your own billboard and people are watching you. There is a reason why people will walk up to someone else and say, ‘What’s wrong?’ And other person will say, ‘Nothing’s wrong.’ Studies show that when people can see the palms of your hands and you also make eye contact, they will trust you. So be aware of your entire body language. Do you smile? Are you open? It’s not easy to change your body language. But it’s important to do so.”
The same thing goes for one’s tone of voice. Clarke said when she asked one executive to call her own voicemail so they could both listen to it, the other person refused.
“When you are on the phone people can tell by your tone of voice if you are happy,” said Clarke, who urged the credit union executives to use fewer words in communications.
When Clarke asked how many in her audience used PowerPoint in presentations, most said they did, even though there were few raised hands when Clarks asked how many consider them to be effective.
To improve communications, Clarke urged the use of stories and props. Credit unions in the room indicated they use everything from M&Ms to Legos in some of their communication efforts.
But communication still comes back to that first impression, emphasized Clarke.
“Does anyone know how many seconds we’re given to make a first impression? Seven seconds,” she said. “ We look them up and down and we say, ‘I like you’ or ‘I don’t like you.’ We judge. If we don’t portray the billboard we want, people will remember what we portray.”
A Top 10 List
Clarke offered what she called the “Top 10 Actions to Become Better Listeners.”
- Stop. Drop. Goal. “Stop and drop what you’re doing and you’re more likely to hit your goals.” Example: stop using the phone even when speaking to people.
- Choose your environment.
- Look at the speaker (try to see the color of their eyes).
- Turn off your thoughts and concentrate on the new speaker.
- Use open body language.
- Restate words and messages when appropriate.
- Ask open-ended questions.
- Train your eyes to look for nonverbal signals.
- Be patient. Let the other person finish their comment.
- Remind yourself that time and attention to others is important.
“You can make small changes to have big effects on your business. Do more interesting things in your personal life and you become more interesting, and you will have more connections with other people,” said Clarke. “Ask more questions, get out of your zone, and be more interactive. You will connect, and you will be a more effective leaders.”