10 Tiny Communication Details That Wow

Did you know using a round table instead of a square or rectangle-shaped table increases the number of people participating in the conversations? (I know you event planners know this but I didn’t until today!)

You definitely know how painful a microscopic paper cut hurts. For at least 2 days.

Successful results come from tiny details. Flowers in the restaurant restroom. Chick-fil-A employees saying “my pleasure” instead of “you’re welcome.” An unexpected thank-you note.

Hospitals know from massive Press Ganey Associates research of customer satisfaction surveys that of the 15 top determinants of patient reactions to their experience, exactly zero are related to health outcomes (which are Big Things, not tiny details.)

All 15 factors are variations of the patient’s small interactions with hospital staff. It’s almost as important how the patient feels about the lunch server than whether the patient gets healed.

[bctt tweet=”Successful results come from tiny details.” username=”thesouthernc”]

It’s always the tiny things that make the biggest difference. You know which are the tiny things in your business that matter; here are 10 quick wins from my world of executive / communication coaching.

1. Power poses work. Either Wonder Woman (with hands on the hips) or Victory (with hands over your head in a V or the Y from the “YMCA” song) raises your testosterone flow. When you need a dose of extra confidence, put your body in position to receive that “wow” booster shot.
2. Never respond with “fine, thank you” when some asks how you are doing. Tell them you are “sensational,” “excited to be here” or “amazingly well.” Emotions are contagious. Make your response positive enough to permeate the room.
3. Fuel a conversation by pleading, “Please tell me more.” Then listen closely.
4. Answer an email with a phone call. I do this all the time and it’s always a good thing, especially when I don’t feel like calling.
5. Thank somebody. Think of a reason to thank one person, and then another. Keep going. You can never overdo thanking people, as long as you’re sincere. Did you ever feel like, “Goodness, I am just too over-appreciated in here. How terrible!”? Exactly.
6. Freshen up your voice mail message. Make sure you’re standing and smiling. Let people know you’re excited that they called.
7. Set up an intimate lunch with some new and interesting people. Maybe you can get together with some folks from the Summit. (#callme) In any case, connecting people is fun and always good for business.
8. Add some wow to your email signature. Use that prime real-estate to encourage others and/or share something new in your business.
9. When you want to win over a person, be sure to use the words they use (or mirror them.) If they say “astonishing” you say “astonishing.” If they say “awesome” you do the same. People love to feel in sync with others; personal connection is a natural euphoria.
10. Stand up (or sit up) 1 inch taller. Now inhale and exhale slowly. Don’t you feel better already?

These are my 10 tiny communication details that wow. Please share your quick win suggestions by commenting below.