Page 52 - ConvinceThemFlip

convince them in 90 seconds or less
As you score these strangers, you are rating, or respond-
ing to, the nonverbal messages they are giving off. And
you may be completely wrong! Unfortunately, many of us
unknowingly send out signals through our body language
and our personal packaging (style, dress, demeanor) that
cause the people we encounter to misjudge us before
we’ve even opened our mouths. Yes, everyone does judge
books by their covers, restaurants by the photos on the
menu, and frequently, cities or even whole cultures by
the first person they encounter at the airport! But you can
learn how to beat this rush to judgment.
People can’t stop making snap judgments about others.
It’s human nature to do so. But you can neutralize the
fight-or-flight response and further your chances of mak-
ing a trusting connection.
Shortly after the publication of my first book, How to
Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less, a reporter
from the Houston Chronicle decided that rather than inter-
view me, he’d put me to the test.
Out we went onto the streets of downtown Houston—
the reporter, a photographer, and I. The plan was this:
The reporter would decide whom I would approach. Then
he and the photographer would hide around the corner
and watch what happened.
“See that group over there? Go and make them like you,”
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