Making the Right Connections

Making the right connections

Every time someone comes into contact with your business, they will have an account of how the experience made them feel.  Each interaction your customers have with your business no matter how big or small, from looking at a "For Sale" sign, reading a flyer or experiencing face to face contact with your team creates a story about your business.  Ben Rennie explains why you need to ensure your business is delivering a story that will make the right connections.

I just spent the weekend away with my Dad on a 2-day golf trip and 15 other friends. We had a blast and it was a great opportunity to catch up with some old mates that I have not seen in some time. We had some amazing conversations about life, business, school and of course golf. 

Conversation is the most natural yet complex of all human connections.

Conversation, here is what it looks like:

1. The Content:  What we say. This comprises of about 7% of what we actually pay attention to. It matters.

2. The Process: How we say it. It is estimated that 55% of the process is carried through by

        non-verbal communication with 38% being the vocal tone alone. Yep… hmm.

3. The Timing: When we say it. This is the biggest influencer of how we process information.

4. Permission: The most critical aspect is permission. Are we talking “with” each other or “at” each other?

Our lives are based on how we communicate. The meaning of communication is the response of elicits, not the intention. The ancient Greek word for conversation “diatribe” means use of time, occupation and dialogue. Our brain is an associative network. It means that our memories record not just the specific details of events, but also our feelings about them. So when it is under the influence of one emotion, it habitually makes connections to past events that triggered that same emotional response. Emotions affect the way we feel, but they also affect the way we remember. When we relive a memory, we make a new memory in the process, with new connections.

This weekend brought up a lot of old memories with some amazing people and I learnt a hell of a lot about myself in the mean time. Most important lesson, “don’t take up golf as a profession” but more importantly, at the root of all of us, there is great stories with great people with great intentions to live life.

To me, story telling is one of the most powerful forms of connection, to recall events that somehow deviate from our expectations. For better or worse. Our brains have a grounded interest in surprise. Add to the mix considerations around context, cultural differences, social circumstances, and environmental noise. Making a connection is indeed a very powerful proposition.  So is your business telling the right stories to make the right connections?

Ben Rennie started his first company at the age of 21, and by the age of 25 was appointed the Managing Director for Boxfresh Asia Pacific working closely with the CEO in London to write the business plan and recruit the management team.  During his career, he has held various Senior Executive roles with Luxottica, the worlds largest eyeware group. He is currently the managing director of 6.2 founder of uncluttered white spaces and the popular IF Talks series.