Making The First 30 Seconds A Life Changing Experience.

What can 30 seconds of interaction with other people do to your career and life? Apparently a lot, according to many studies done in the US. 

People unconsciously decide whether to like or dislike us within the first 30 seconds. Just think of the many opportunities we missed be them career advancement, new jobs and even business opportunities because we fail to make a great first impression within the first 30 seconds.

Below are four practical things that we can do to make our first 30 seconds contact a life changing one. 

Firstly, we need to smile. Nothing is more contagious than a genuine smile. My friend used to say that a smile opens up a thousand doors. A smile is a universal language of acceptance and rapport. The key here is genuine smile. People will know it if we fake a smile. How to create a genuine smile? Create the feeling in our heart and project it on our face. Then let go and let that smile flies away.

Next we need to have good eye contact. As they say, the eye is the window to the soul. Giving the other person good eye contact is a sign of respect and telling him "I am paying attention to you and only you". Just be careful not to stare at the person for too long (especially if he or she is of the opposite gender).

Thirdly, offer a handshake. In the old days, a handshake is a sign that you don't have ill intention towards the other party. During time of war, a handshake ie holding the other person hands with open palm are signals that they don't have hidden weapons. Today, a good handshake is a sign of trust. In some culture, a handshake is a binding contract.

Lastly, greet the other person appropriately. Greetings are the appetizer that opens up conversations. Although different cultures have their own way of greeting people, 'universal greetings' such as 'Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening etc' are pleasantries that can open up countless possibilities.

So the next time you meet someone be in in a formal interview, on a bus or in a plane, follow the four steps above to create 30 seconds of contact that may change your life. Who knows where that 30 seconds might lead you?        

Making your Speeches Memorable

How can we make people remember and understand the points that we are trying to make in our speeches? Some speakers keep on rambling points after points without clear explanation, examples or elaborations. Others keep on telling stories one after another that finally make the audience go into 'screen saver mode'.

You can avoid all the above if you use the 4As below to spice, color and anchor your speeches for better retention and understanding;

Anecdotes - Anecdotes are short stories that help to explain your key points. Use wisely, it will keep your audience entertained, More importantly, it will help you to illustrate the point better and clearer. Just make sure that the story is short (2-3 minutes), simple and without any complicated plots. Then, tie up the story with the point that you want to deliver.

Analogy - Analogy uses the concept of prior knowledge of the audience to explain your ideas. For example, if you are talking about financial savings, then you can use the analogy of planting a tree and watching it grows to illustrate the concept of growing one's assets. One caveat to this idea is to use simple analogy that all of your audience can follow and understand.

Activity - Short and content-relevant activity is another powerful tool to explain a point. The classic activity to teach the audience about resistance to change is the 'arm folding' activity. To make it more impactful, debriefing is a must at the end of every activity. One key point to remember is to keep it sort ie 2-3 minutes.

Acronym - Acronym is another attention grabber that help to hammer your points to your ideas. For motivational speeches to youths and students, I use the acronym DREAM to illustrate and explain my points. Just ensure that your acronym is not too long ie less than 9 letters as audience will have problems remembering them if it is too long.