I have been discussing the idea of the Perception Gap for a while now. Introverts often are misunderstood and considered aloof or disengaged when they don’t exude warmth. Newsweek’s writer, Jacob Weisberg, had an interesting take on President Obama’s temperament in the piece, Cool Coming Off As Cold and how this perception is becoming an issue for our President.
Oh, you think just because I am a pastor, I just drink gingerale.” I want to be “politically correct,” was my retort. I think we included humor and quite bit of content in the 14 minute conversation.
Peter is an older man who puts one foot in front of the other as he sweeps the street each morning near the local school. I have seen him each December on my daily walks on this small island tucked away in the blue seas of the Caribbean. As drivers go to work, they give him a slight horn “toot” in their morning meet and greet. Peter looks up and responds with a gentle nod of the head. He then goes back to his task – walking the same steps ever
“My brother lost his job,” said my friend, Sam. Will you give him some tips? I asked how much of a network his brother had and Sam turned to…
I am taking a short break from blogging/tweeting/facebooking/texting and email. Actually am welcoming the chance to reading non work books – a bio of FDR, a memoir by speaker and coach, Shirley Garrett – A Tap Water Girl in a Bottled Water World and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants.
When you think of a successful business leader, you probably imagine an outgoing “people person” with a strong handshake, a warm laugh, and a booming voice. A commanding presence, in short…….
“An Introvert Asks How Do I Get People to Hear Me At Meetings? “After a seminar I did last week for Execunet, I received many questions – some of which I am still responding to (Thank you listeners!) After responding to this question I decided to post it on Linked In and thought the answers were terrific. Ask and ye shall receive. They range from the standard, (“Go to Toastmasters”) to the old teacher trick of waiting until everyone is quiet to strut your stuff.
Taylor Mallory, Editor of The Little PINK Book said, “My extroverted manager couldn’t understand why I didn’t seem excited or enthusiastic about ideas that had her out of her chair. But I smiled and, after I thought about it for a moment, said,” I love that” in an elevated pitch. I felt excited, but more so, I was busy thinking about the idea, analyzing how to make it work, how to make it better, where it might cause trouble, what pitfalls we might run into – before I responded. I was in my head for a minute. But having interviewed a million career experts, I know how important showing enthusiasm is. I just didn’t realize mine wasn’t coming across.”
We all can smile more. Hokey, you say? Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, the great South African leader. Apparently, he was a pretty dull speaker. What he did consistently in every setting was break out his huge smile. This symbolized his lack of bitterness toward white South Africans and communicated hope and triumph to black voters. Mandela’s smile was his message.
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