How to Instantly Improve Your Chances of Getting Something Approved

12/05/2011 00:54

The biggest part of a stand-up set is the first 30 seconds. In this short amount time, onlookers decides if you are: funny, potentially funny, or otherwise funny at all. Whenever they decide you're funny, you may have them on your side your other set. If they think you may well be funny but aren't sure yet, you may have another 30 seconds to prove you happen to be. If they don't think you're funny, then you're unlikely to change their mind in the end of your set, regardless of how well you do.

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Those first 30 seconds are just like the first 30 seconds of any recommendation or proposal allowing at work. Many know this concept as headnodding. The idea is when you get people to agree early on, then they are much prone to agree with you later.

How to Start Off Strong

It seems pretty obvious that you would want to start off on a good foot, but how do you do that? In comedy, i might come across relating to the audience as soon as possible, and avoiding most things that might cause people to disagree along with your view points. Ordinarily a good introduction are some things the entire audience may be relate to (such as a joke around the city, something an earlier comic said, or the ridiculousness of your own voice...) This starts the headnodding ("You're right, he does sound a bit like Fran Drescher").

How all of this in the business world? Does which means that you should start your next presentation off with some self-deprecating humor? Not always (though comedy is under-utilized at work). It means you want to start off any presentation establishing that you will be all on common ground. If you are proposing a strategy to a problem, confirm while using audience that you all agree that there is, in fact, a problem, and also you agree what it is.

Find Common Ground with Facts

As simple and easy since it sounds, it's surprising the quantity of people start off recommendations with something not everybody agrees with. The easiest way to prevent this is to start your recommendation with facts, not opinions. By stating information of the situation (sales are down, your capacity to purchase is cut, your voice is distinctly different), everyone is on board.

Then, once they've settled in and also have already been nodding along (not nodding off) for the facts, you transition into the more controversial details (controversial meaning that you may not have alignment yet, aka your recommendation, not your ideas on on Roe vs Wade).

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Now that they've all laughed regarding your voice, you can hit these something that they may not agree with (politics, views on drinking, stance on religion), they will be open to paying attention to. If you've done your homework, and are offering an incredible "solution," the "laughs" (aka success) may come. Congratulations, you've just learned among the list of top productivity tips from stand-up comedy.