Mirror neurons allow animals to imitate the actions of one another. Chimps learn grooming techniques from their mothers and then mimic these actions by grooming other chimps, even those unrelated. The more they like one another, the longer they groom. But humans have taken copycatting to new heights. We even imitate expressions we hear, which quickly become ingrained habits.
When we Googled a good way to start a speech, the following phrases came up: “Good morning, thank you for having me” and… “I’m excited to speak to you today” and “I would like to thank you in advance for your interest...” Apart from showing that your mother raised you with manners, your words have little impact and set you up as old-fashioned and boring. This is hardly a good thing if your next statement is how forward-thinking you and your team are. You have unfortunately proven the opposite.
In Eloqui trainings, we introduce how to craft memorable openings. (*) Yet, attendees still stand up and begin with “Good afternoon…” or Welcome. I’m Susan and here’s my agenda slide.” and so on. Breaking habits is a bitch. It takes consistent self-awareness and practice to erase the effects of mirror neurons and hook your audience from your very first words.
(*) Our 3-book set, Briefly Speaking devotes an entire chapter to unique openings. To order, go to www.brieflyspeaking.biz