Everyone Communicates, Few Connect - John Maxwell

I have been following John Maxwell as he starts to tease us about the new book he is writing.

The book will be called Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.

He is a bit of what he is starting to write.........

You know when you don’t have a good connection on the phone, but how about when you’re communicating with people in person?
Do you know when a connection has been made?
Can you tell when the connection is starting to go bad?
Can you identify when the “call” has been dropped?

Most people have an easy time knowing when the connection is good on the phone. But they have no idea if they’re connecting with others in other everyday situations.

How do I tell? How do I know that I’ve connected with others? I look for the signs. When I interact with people, whether one on one, in a group, or with an audience, I know I’ve connected when I sense . . .

Extra Effort – people go the extra mile
Unsolicited Appreciation – they say positive things
Unguarded Openness – they demonstrate trust
Increased Communication – they express themselves more readily
Enjoyable Experiences – they feel good about what they’re doing
Emotional Bondedness – they display a connection on an emotional level
Positive Energy – their emotional “batteries” are charged by being together
Growing Synergy – their effectiveness is greater than the sum of the contributions
Unconditional Love – they are accepting without reservation

Any time I interact with people and I see evidence of these signals, I know I’m connecting. I’ve learned what it takes to connect with others, and I’ve learned to gauge when I’m succeeding.