1.Your Outfit. This is your ‘Personal Brand’. How you dress says a lot about you, your mood, your self-care and the kind of person you are looking to attract either personally or professionally. I have a huge personal love for the style muted elegance, a simple tailoring effect that speaks volumes in whatever environment you are in. Contemporary and adaptable to any occasion for both men and women. If you are headed to a date or a business networking event you can dress muted elegance up with the right accessories or don a pair of flats and take it back to daywear. Highly recommended as a ‘now look’, especially in Autumn, used by designers such as Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford- it’s so understated and yet so classy. All that’s left to do is show up in good shoes with a good strong handshake- well almost...
2.Your Elevator Pitch. Keep it simple, strong and full of self-belief. Being precise about who you are, what your passions entail and what keeps you ticking day to day is the key to a great conversation. In my experience most people struggle to get past their name and what it is they do for a living. If what you do isn’t what defines you as a person then don’t start with that. If your personal passions translate into your career path then do talk about that; your excitement and happiness creates a flow of energy personally and professionally needs be. This is your moment of micro-glory to catch the attention of the person you are chatting to in whatever environment you are in. Keep it positive- I promise you happy is the most attractive trait- everyone wants to surround themselves with that.
3. Your Mutual Interest. Building rapport is a key factor to help you along the way for sustaining interest in a conversation and keeping the confidence flowing between two people chatting. Ensure you catch their name and repeat it if you can naturally a couple of times in the conversation. It is important that you ask, listen and then go ahead and share to ensure the person you are in company with feels valued and understood. Most people just want what they are saying to be heard. Finding a common ground at some point in the conversation will really help to home in the conversation on a personal level.
4.Your Actions. Keep eye contact, ensure you are really listening and not just waiting for your chance to talk about you. What they have to say is just as important and who knows what we might learn from listening to others. Keep an open and relaxed body frame and for heaven's sake please keep your iphone in your pocket. There is nothing more distracting or breaks built rapport more quickly than checking that last text or imminent email- they can wait. Your connecting on a personal level; imagine that! In a world of tech actually having a conversation with someone or human interaction is getting slimmer. According to research our attention span has diminished 5 times in the past 10 years. Meeting someone in person is the best chance or rapport in both dating or relationship building for business.
5. Your Value and Follow Up. Be clear about you and your knowledge and add value to the other person in the conversation; only once you’ve done all the asking and listening of course. If it’s a date then having listened to them in the first place is highly attractive and if for business this will make you one of the most memorable people in the room at that moment. Generously give them the best of you and your personality. In a tech world both personally and professionally it’s very easy to become a robot. Take it from me I have heard enough Tinder stories to last a lifetime. Finally, I would say no matter if there was a spark for your business or enough spark to meet again for Sunday Brunch be polite and take their card. The follow up is then in your hands and you can be courteous and make the final step to the lasting impression. Go ahead - follow up. Say how great it was to meet said person and if for business your professional life will thank you for it. If it’s for dating then you can meet again or if that’s not the intention- at least you won’t be added to ‘people that never communicated’ pile. This says a lot about you and your personality I certainly do think.
I hope you find these 5 Top Tips helpful, useful and actionable. Let me know how you get on!