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How did you get on practicing your calls last week? Did you make any changes to your pitch and tone that made a noticeable difference? Did you receive a better response from the recipient of your calls?
This week I would like to share with you the study carried out by behavioural scientists Jessica Lakin and Tanya Chartrand. They watched dozens of interactions with people and spotted a pattern that people naturally mimic the body language of new arrivals.
They also discovered that people are not actually conscious that they are doing it most of the time. Without realising it, people turn themselves into mirrors, copying gestures of the other person.
Their studies showed that the relationship between mimicry and rapport goes both ways. We automatically copy others’ body language when we want to get to know someone better and tend to warm to people who imitate us. Some researchers call this a ‘Chameleon effect’ and believe it evolved as a shortcut to help us bond with each other.
When it comes to becoming more persuasive, there are a lot of different non-verbal signals you could think about. However, a simple way of enhancing our influence may be to copy the mannerisms of the other person. Some research has actually uncovered that mimicry also helps both people in a negotiation come away better off, so everybody wins.
So next time you meet a new candidate or client, it may be a good idea to mirror their body language, within reason and perhaps repeat back to them what you hear and understand from them. Use the same language and words they have used and this may help you build rapport and form a natural bond.
Next week I will be talking about the power of the words we use and how we should choose them wisely to influence others.
This blog has been inspired by reading Rob Yeung’s book ‘i is for Influence’.
To receive a FREE copy of ‘7 key tips to being a top recruiter’ 16 page eBooklet go to http://www.firebirdtraining.com/Pages/default.aspx
Tel: 01892 549651
Email: alison@firebirdtraining.co.uk
