Page 213 - ConvinceThemFlip

get them talking
to be a casual catch-up on the month’s accomplishments
and plans for the future. Abigail knows how to get inti-
mate fast, how to look and listen actively, and how to stay
focused.
Abigail is in front of her management team, catching
some softball questions from her managers. She’s find-
ing out a lot more from them about how they’re going to
handle the next year’s challenges than they’re finding out
from her because of her talent at schmoozing her way
under the surface. She’s been observing and listening
but hasn’t lost sight of why they are there. She uses the
A: “Tell me about your job.”
B: “I sell photographic equipment. Ever since I was
a kid I used to stare off at distant landscapes and—”
A: “I find landscapes fascinating. What does your
job involve?”
Try this for three minutes, then swap roles. Don’t worry
about being obvious. The point of the exercise is to learn
to recognize when you or the person you are talking to is
wandering too far off-topic. You’ve seen the result when TV
interviewers let their guests or, worse, themselves ramble
on for no good reason. Interest and impact are diminished,
and the connection can be lost.
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