Do you know that being present in your conversation is the key to gaining Velocity in life?

When I’m presenting, whether virtually or in person, I like to engage the audience in a fun game. It’s called “Build a Story One Word at a Time.”

Here’s how it works: Someone in the audience suggests a starting word, like “ocean,” and then we begin building the story, one word at a time. It’s an improv game.

What’s fascinating about this game is that, occasionally, someone hesitates. For example, the first person says “The,” the second person says “ocean,” and then the third person suddenly pauses, glancing around the room.

The reason why they’re stalling is that they’re going into their mind thinking what to say next, rather than staying fully present and listening to what the previous person just said.

What we find in the game, is that those who are truly present and actively listening to the other participants respond really fast because they’re in the moment.

It’s when someone isn’t listening and instead is thinking about the next thing they’re going to say, that’s when the break happens. That’s when they stall and the conversation goes off the rails. In such cases, it’s unlikely that you’ll achieve your intended outcome.

The key to a successful conversation is making the other person feel like you’re truly listening to them. How do you find out if you are listening to them? See how fast your next response or question comes.

If it comes really fast, you’re probably present in the conversation, which is going to lead to a successful outcome and help you gain Velocity in achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.

#VelocityMindset #sales #leadership #CommunicationSkills #StayPresent #conversations