Have you ever lost weight, yet those you see daily don’t notice? Then, they first mention it the moment you come face-to-face with someone you haven’t seen in a while.
Psychologists call this phenomenon ‘inattentional blindness.’ It occurs when those you interact with daily fail to see your subtle changes. But what happens when you haven’t met face-to-face in a while?
As you return to in-person interactions, expect that previously unnoticed bad habits and new ones developed while working virtually will be magnified to those you haven’t seen. They risk distracting from our message and the ability to influence others to act.
These past two years, our cameras provided instant feedback. We noticed if we fidgeted, our hair was out of place, or if we sat too close or far away. That visual feedback helped us make immediate corrections but became a crutch.
We didn’t have to think about how we presented ourselves; we saw it.
Breaking Bad Habits
More in-person conversations require you to think about how you constantly present yourself. These two simple tips will help you determine what needs to change now before it steals your listeners’ focus later.
More in-person conversations require you to think about how you constantly present yourself. These two simple tips will help you determine what needs to change now before it steals your listeners’ focus later.
The one step you can take to immediately enhance your influence is to record yourself.
- Record yourself.
Next time you are on a virtual call, record yourself. You can easily record on your phone. Immediately watch the playback and note your hand gestures, facial expressions, posture, and presentation. Be honest and recognize if your movements distracted from your message or added to what you had to say.
- Write it down.
After watching your video playback, write down everything you wish to change. Choose one habit per week to focus on improving. Write it on a post-it note and place it in a location readily seen as a reminder to remain focused. Record yourself again each week's end to determine if you’re improving.
Continuing these tips creates a feedback loop for ongoing improvement. It isn’t hard, but it does require intentional effort to ensure your message is heard. Doing the work now ensures bad habits aren’t magnified when connecting in person.
