Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw the customer enter the lobby. The customer was carrying a large shoulder bag with several papers in her hand. The customer was shuffling the papers and looking down; then she stopped, looked up, and saw the staff navigator sitting at the desk.
The customer quickly walked to the navigator, said something, got a response from the navigator, and then looked around the lobby. The eyes of the customer stopped when she saw the sign above Patrick’s area. She turned and smiled at the navigator and nodded, and then the customer briskly walked toward Patrick.
How the Customer Waited
She saw a little sign-in kiosk right in front of Patrick’s area, signed in, got a number, and sat down. Patrick received notification that she was #37, and he was working with customer #35. Occasionally, Patrick glanced at customer #37; she never took out a phone. She was looking at the papers fervently, and she was using a pencil to write and erase certain things.
When a particular song came on in the lobby, Patrick noticed that she started tapping her feet, and she paused her review of the papers. After a couple seconds, she went back to her papers and kept the foot tapping.
In the 8 minutes that the customer was in the lobby before Patrick called for customer #37, Patrick had noticed the customer and her mannerisms for about 30 seconds total. But a lot of things were clear to him. They were clear to him because he was listening to her gestures, expressions and body language, even though he couldn’t hear a word she was saying.
What Patrick Learned
Patrick knew that this was someone who had never been to the office before. She was somebody who didn’t have her whole game plan together, and she was formulating her questions and how to express them as she waited. She was not tech savvy, or at least not technology-focused. Although she seemed a little nervous and in a rush, a little frazzled as well, she seemed like a pleasant person. She appeared to be somebody who liked music and knew how to relax herself in the moment.
Patrick knew that she had settled herself down and had started to get her thoughts together, but she would likely have questions and follow-up questions to address whatever her issue or need was at that time. Patrick had an impression of her without ever having spoken to her.
How This Helps Us
When we’re face-to-face with others, we have the same opportunity that Patrick had – to observe and try to understand others even beyond what they say, even if we haven’t even spoken to them. Sometimes these observations and the resulting conclusions are accurate. Sometimes…not so much. But with face-to-face conversations, words only tell part of the story.
By watching the body language, the gestures, the movements, it helps you to read the other person and glean a little bit more about what’s going on inside that individual.
And if you get a chance to make these observations even before you speak to the other person, you can better prepare for the encounter.
Listen with your eyes.
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