Human beings are natural mimickers. The more youre conscious of the other sides posture, mannerisms, and word choices - and the more you subtly reflect those back - the more accurate youll be at taking their perspective.
Interpretation
Human beings tend to imitate each other, and doing so can help us understand their perspectives better.
This quote highlights the inherent tendency of humans to mimic the behavior and expressions of others. By consciously reflecting on their posture, mannerisms, and language, we can enhance our ability to empathize and comprehend their viewpoint, thus fostering better communication and connection in relationships.
In practice
In a workshop on effective communication, the speaker referenced this quote to emphasize the importance of mirroring in conversations.
While complying can be an effective strategy for physical survival, it's a lousy one for personal fulfillment. Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you through the day, but only the latter will get you through the night.
Succeeding makes us feel good. But beating someone else makes us feel really good. Comparing ourselves to others and coming out on top creates a sense of entitlement. And when we feel entitled, we cheat more because, of course, the rules don't apply to awesome people like us.
When we make progress and get better at something, it is inherently motivating. In order for people to make progress, they have to get feedback and information on how they're doing.
We have this myth that extroverts are better salespeople. As a result, extroverts are more likely to enter sales; extroverts are more likely to get promoted in sales jobs. But if you look at the correlation between extroversion and actual sales performance - that is, how many times the cash register actually rings - the correlation's almost zero.
Too many people hold a very narrow view of what motivates us. They believe that the only way to get us moving is with the jab of a stick or the promise of a carrot. But if you look at over 50 years of research on motivation, or simply scrutinize your own behavior, it's pretty clear human beings are more complicated than that.
Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.
One of the things that happens in our regular lives is that when we're in moments of pain or feeling alone, we may hesitate to reach out to others because we may think - they're not going through the same experiences I am.
The connection was so bad, and I couldn’t talk at all during most of the call. How terrible it is when you say I love you and the person at the other end shouts back ‘What?
Men and boys, we show our manhood through the way we treat our women. Our wives, our sisters, our mothers.
You can't have a relationship with a device whose limits are unknown to you, because without limits, it keeps becoming something else.
Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?
Our lives, our stories, flowed into one another's, were no longer our own, individual, discrete.
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