 |
|
|
 Vallarta Living | April 2007 
Smiles, Eye Contact Overcome any Language Barrier
 Hal Becker - halbecker.com
I have the coolest job. It is so much fun to do what you love and to see the world at the same time.
I just returned from doing two sales conferences in Mexico. The first one was in Mexico City, and the second one was in Monterrey. They were done through a promotion company, and the attendees were people from various industries. It was an "open to the public" format - companies would sign up their employees, and the self-employed also could attend.
This was a fabulous experience because every time I go to Mexico I am speaking at a resort town, to a specific company and its employees, or just there for a simple vacation or getaway. On this trip, I really got a sense of the culture, business climate and the way they try to conduct business. Needless to say, I was very impressed by the Mexican warmth, sincerity and their eagerness to want to better themselves when it comes to the art and science of sales training.
Now, as all my friends know, I am not much of the linguist. In fact, I have a hard time trying to master English, let alone Spanish. Therefore, during my presentations, I was afforded the luxury of having a couple of great translators to give my presentation some meaning.
Trust me, without the translators, they would have heard me say hello, good-bye, be able to count to 10 and then ask where the bathroom is!
So why the article? Simple! I am always amazed at how you can read people by their expressions (and I am sure they can read mine).
Sincerity is so simple, and you can do it anywhere, even if you do not know a word of a spoken language. Just take the time to look at someone and be interested (even if you have to fake it). People love to be around a good listener - all people, kids and adults!
When you are with people you know or don't know, smile and try to enjoy their company. We are all in such a rush nowadays, and it only takes a few seconds to slow ourselves down and engage the other person.
The more I travel, the more I am convinced that we are all alike. We all want the same things: a few bucks, good health and people around us whom we love and love us back. The only differences are our beliefs, cultures and habits. So here are a couple of ideas to try when you travel around the block or around the world.
Smile - Everyone likes to be around happy people. Smiles are universal (and you don't even need teeth). They convey warmth and invoke a good feeling among people of all backgrounds. I find it amazing how simple it is to automatically like someone at first impression when the first thing you see is his or her smile. It is just a very comforting feeling, and the simple expression just puts people at easy immediately.
Eye contact - Look into someone's eyes when you talk or listen. Do not stare at the person like some psycho stalker or nut case; rather, try to look like a person who cares. Focus on what the person is saying, and try to shut out as many of the surrounding distractions as possible. Watch the person's eyes also. This is a very simple way to see whether he or she is comfortable with you. It is hard to lie to someone if there is really good eye contact. The person who is doing the lying probably will break off eye contact and look away.
Basically, eyes and a smile are a window into someone's personality. You can tell so much about a person with some basic human traits.
Becker is an author and trainer in sales and customer service. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us