The 30 Second Rule

I have been listening to an interview a few months ago where the interviewee exposed what he called the "30 Second Rule". Don't bother asking me for the name of the guy: I don't remember it as, except for that bit of information, the interview was quite dull. And maybe it is thanks to the contract between the noteworthy "30 Second Rule" and the otherwise boring interview that I remember about that "30 Second Rule". But I must apologize, I am wandering and by now you must be curious about that "30 Second Rule". Are you?

Ok, then I will tell you about it. So it goes: when you speak to one or a few people, picture a traffic light. As you start talking, it is green during the 30 first seconds; your audience is listening and curious to know what you have to say. It is yellow during the next 30 seconds; the level of attention gets lower, people already see where you are going. Or they don't, in which case they would like to ask you to get to the point. When the light is yellow, you should think about stopping to let other people speak. After 1 minute the light is red; unless you see sparkles of interests in the eyes of your audience, stop right there, don't even think about adding one sentence.

Think about it, wouldn't you like other people to follow this rule? And now think a little more; shouldn't you follow this rule?

Conflict of Interest

Tensions occur between people. They manifest in our daily life in different forms, from subtle sensations of discomfort all the way to emotional outbursts. Have you noticed how often conflict of interests are at the root of those tensions?

Next time you are in a situation where you notice some tension between people, try to analyze it from a "conflict of interest" perspective. You will at least get two benefits out of this: a better understanding of other's point of view and avoiding the risk of speaking and just being blunt, as you will be busy thinking. Give it a try.