The First 7 Seconds...

Count with me for 7 seconds.

1 Mississippi

2?Mississippi

3?Mississippi

4?Mississippi

5?Mississippi

6?Mississippi

7?Mississippi

You have just 7 seconds to make a first impression in person, on Zoom, or in written form.?After those?short 7 seconds, the receiver has already decided whether or not to listen or read further and has already formed a positive or negative perception of the message. Every communication stage is important in business, so taking time to practice and fine-tune your writing and speaking skills regularly is well worth your time and effort.

In all forms of communication, the words you choose to use are powerful—the spoken ones even more so than the written ones.?Though the written ones are permanent and can be referred to again intact, they lack the emotional emphasis and body language that combine to exponentially empower those that are spoken.

It is, therefore, wise to choose your words?very?carefully.?The right word(s) used at the right time can create and change your level of success. Too often, we speak or click send before we review our choices. Unfortunately, this can produce unintentional negative results. Take a moment to plan out your words for every situation—from the most straightforward event, like leaving a voicemail, to a perceived significant engagement, like giving a presentation. It may seem like this could slow you down, but in reality, it is one of these instances when slowing down will prove to be your proverbial superpower if you use it to speed up and magnify your success efforts.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you are linking words and phrases together to relay your thoughts:

1. Negative words are more impactful?and remembered longer than positive ones. Make sure to repeat the positive ones often!
2. Practice brevity.?Fewer, shorter statements are easier to interpret and understand. The combination allows each person involved to reply with conclusive answers sooner.
3. It is ok to respond in silence.?The choice to not respond gives your counterpart space to finish their thought; it allows you to process further what you are taking in. Even better, it will slow your interaction down to be more intentional rather than reactionary.

That third one is possibly—NO—definitely the most important and underutilized one.?Proceed with a touch of caution while you find the appropriate delay length. If overused, it can create an ever-feared?awkward?period of silence. Successful communicators often practice different lengths of pauses within various conversations to refine and update their perception of perfectly timed pauses.

Often having a coach lead you through activities that allow you to practice within proven scenarios that reflect real-world situations lets you take the pressure off and try new tactics to build further success. Interactive cohorts of like-minded or similar levels of responsibility are even better for empowering and honing the communication skills needed for growth in today's workplace. Turn to Vertical Elevation for our current offerings, or contact me to create a custom plan for your leadership team that aligns with your company's specific goals and interests.

Let’s RiSE together,

Carol