Hide your phone and take your watch off to show full interest in a person
Summary
- Putting your phone away and removing your watch (or at least not looking at it) shows full interest in a person
Details
- Even having your phone visible reduces the depth of the conversation.
- Remove everything between you and others
- Push aside your computer, move your coffee over
References
Quotes
And she used a little nonverbal trick that involved anti-blocking. “When I would do interviews, I would take my phone. I would put that thing away. I would take my watch off. . . . I wanted that person, whoever it was, to know that I had nowhere to go. And all that mattered, in that moment, was them,” she explained.
When you are in one-on-one interactions where you need to build rapport. Make a show of removing all barriers between you and others. Clear the table in a client meeting. Push aside a computer in a brainstorming session. Move your clipboard to the side when talking to people. Scoot your coffee over on a date. Open body, open heart, open mind.
When you are presenting or pitching. Always try to be barrier free—an open torso is the most charismatic. Use a remote instead of sitting in front of your computer. Step away from the podium. Leave your arms loose by your sides so you can gesture easily and keep your torso open to the audience.