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When you walk into a meeting or join a conversation do you read the room right away? If not, you’re missing an important opening for a relational handshake.
By taking the first few seconds of every interaction with others to read then match their vibe (i.e., tone, volume, and energy level)—right as you start saying anything (even “Hello”)—you establish a quick and powerful connection. Make it a habit, and you’ve mastered one of the most simple and effective communication power tools.
Fail to “tune in” and match the vibe you’ve walked into right away—because you’re busy checking your phone, clearing your throat, or jumping into an agenda in the “interest of time”—you’ve most likely left others behind from the get-go. Now, they need to make an effort to calibrate to match your vibe and establish a connection with you— which takes significantly more time and energy .
As an executive coach, I’ve found that an inability to read the room and match the vibe can cause a client to be viewed as someone whose “communication needs work”, “lacks executive presence”, or “comes across as junior.”
If “matching the vibe” is a communication tool you’d like to master, here’s a tip: Over the next few weeks, at the beginning of EVERY new interaction , make an effort first to read the room and immediately match the tone, volume, and energy level of those you’re greeting. That’s it. Just walk in, read, then match.
With enough practice, your ability to read the room and match the vibe right from the start will be come habit—and you’ll find that you’re able to make quick and positive collaborative connections with others every time.