In a popular Yale experiment, researchers used coffee to learn how physical sensation influenced mental judgment.  To test their hypothesis about the importance of temperature, research assistants casually asked that the undergraduate test subjects briefly hold either a warm cup of coffee or iced coffee as they wrote down the information. The subjects were then given a packet of information about an individual and then asked to assess his or her personality traits. The participants assessed the person as significantly “warmer” if they had previously held the warm cup rather than the iced cup.

 As an aspiring master communicator, this reminds me to see who and not through.  It reminds me to take a beat, make eye contact, and smile.  It reminds me to ask a question and listen earnestly to get to know a little about the people I encounter.  If a cup of coffee in my hand can influence how I assess someone I haven’t met, what does that tell me about my judgment when I’m tired, uncomfortable, stressed, angry, distracted, or rushed?

It tells me I’ve made a shit-ton of bad calls over my lifetime and that becoming a master communicator takes time, intention, and the conscious deployment of all of the charisma skills we discuss in this weekly blog.

Does anyone want to meet for an iced, er, hot latte?

Own Your Sales Gene…