#952 I Wanna be Like Goose

The more I learn about people, the better I like dogs, is a quote attributed to Mark Twain.  Over time it’s been adapted to “The more people I meet, the better I like my dog.” Why do you think that is?  Most people will come up with things like, my dog doesn’t talk back, he’s loyal, he listens, etc., but that isn’t it for me.

It’s that he pays rapt attention.  My pup is wholly tuned into me.  He listens and watches.  He knows every nuance of my behavior and what it means.  He never glances at his iPhone or the TV over my shoulder.  He’s locked on me.

Goose (that’s my dog’s name) and I run together.  He LOVES it.  If I open the drawer where I keep my running clothes, he snakes in and out of my legs with his whole body wagging in anticipation.  If I go in another drawer to get dressed, he sits back and watches me.  Am I going to my home office or going out?

If it’s the office he parks himself there.  If he determines that I’m heading out, he jumps onto the bed and sulks.

So what’s the point?  Goose is in uptime.  Uptime is the name we use in NLP  for giving total attention.  Uptime is what I want to be in when my wife or my kids speak to me.  I want to be as attentive as Goose is to every nuance of communication.  Goose doesn’t have the benefit of words.  He has to figure out my intention by virtue of body language, context, and behavior.

Again I will tell you that the Mehrabian communications study determined that 93% of our meaning is delivered without relying on word choice; 55% body language and 38% tone and pace of speech.

“You want to be in uptime all the time”

Can you imagine being as tuned in as Goose?  Can you imagine how the other person would feel to have your complete attention?  Can you imagine making everyone you speak with the center of your universe?  You’d be the most loved, trusted, charismatic person in your universe.

I get Mark Twain’s quote, and because of it, I will try to be as dog-like as humanly possible.

Own Your Sales Gene…