Many of you have heard me speak about Velcro Communication™, the concept being that the more hooks and loops you have in common with another person, the stronger the bond.
What's a hook or loop? Anything outside the business domain that might be of mutual interest to a colleague, prospect, client, or customer such as a hobby, passion, family element or life experience.
Even when the actual items don't align identically, the fact that you are open to sharing a particular hook or loop leads to greater trust -- provided you aren't waxing poetic about something that is of ZERO interest to the other party.
Recently, my colleague Ford Saeks as telling me about a Facebook post he made in which he included a photo from his bike computer.
What's a hook or loop? Anything outside the business domain that might be of mutual interest to a colleague, prospect, client, or customer such as a hobby, passion, family element or life experience.
Even when the actual items don't align identically, the fact that you are open to sharing a particular hook or loop leads to greater trust -- provided you aren't waxing poetic about something that is of ZERO interest to the other party.
Recently, my colleague Ford Saeks as telling me about a Facebook post he made in which he included a photo from his bike computer.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/fordsaeks
While most of his posts had been business related, he said this one got more comments than any before -- on and offline. In a sea of blue, suddenly a bright yellow flag. Or rather, in a world of smooth material, suddenly, a hook and a loop. This is the power of Velcro Communication(TM).
So, think of one hook or loop of your own -- a specific hobby, interest, personal element -- and include it in an upcoming presentation, email, or business meeting in some innocuous fashion -- as an analogy, a story, an example, or a point of comparison. All you need to do is mention it for 10-30 seconds. Show a photo, bring in that prop (the actual item), tell a brief anecdote.
Then witness what happens.
And email me the results.
While most of his posts had been business related, he said this one got more comments than any before -- on and offline. In a sea of blue, suddenly a bright yellow flag. Or rather, in a world of smooth material, suddenly, a hook and a loop. This is the power of Velcro Communication(TM).
So, think of one hook or loop of your own -- a specific hobby, interest, personal element -- and include it in an upcoming presentation, email, or business meeting in some innocuous fashion -- as an analogy, a story, an example, or a point of comparison. All you need to do is mention it for 10-30 seconds. Show a photo, bring in that prop (the actual item), tell a brief anecdote.
Then witness what happens.
And email me the results.
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