You Said What? [A Confident Communicator’s Guide]

4 Big MistakeNot Managing Perceptions

There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.

—Aldous Huxley

Perceptions affect the outcome of our communication. The way we walk, the way we hold ourselves, the way we dress, how we carry our briefcase, the look of the briefcase, our smile (or lack of one)—the list could go on. The impression we make on other people often determines how well they communicate with us. Bad first impressions generally lead to bad relationships. Good first impressions give us the opportunity to build rapport and establish good two-way communication.

What makes perception reality is that we are dealing not only with our communication efforts but also with the experiences of the ...