Michael Chad Hoeppner

And a building companies in the US speak English as a second or third or fourth language and oftentimes hail from somewhere else. And there's two ways I would suggest we think about this. On the one hand, there are the core things that humans do, and we do them all over the world. And that's partly because we are communication instruments. Communication is not a sidecar to being human.

We built this incredible system of spoken language to be able to team up and gain an evolutionary advantage over somebody else or some other creatures or stop the marauding cave bears or whatever it is. So this is just part of being human. But then on top of that core, there is endless complexity with how different languages work.

We built this incredible system of spoken language to be able to team up and gain an evolutionary advantage over somebody else or some other creatures or stop the marauding cave bears or whatever it is. So this is just part of being human. But then on top of that core, there is endless complexity with how different languages work.

So yes, there are these changes, these differences all over the place. And then oftentimes what you're trying to do though, no matter what culture, is not unlock how an American would speak or how a German would speak or how a Brit would speak, But you're trying to unlock how that person would speak.

So yes, there are these changes, these differences all over the place. And then oftentimes what you're trying to do though, no matter what culture, is not unlock how an American would speak or how a German would speak or how a Brit would speak, But you're trying to unlock how that person would speak.

But crucially, when they are not thinking about themselves and how they speak, but thinking about the person they're trying to reach. And all of what we think of as the behaviors of presence or the behaviors of confidence, that means enunciation and eye contact and gestures and all the rest. These come out flawlessly when we're in that activity of really, truly trying to reach the other person.

But crucially, when they are not thinking about themselves and how they speak, but thinking about the person they're trying to reach. And all of what we think of as the behaviors of presence or the behaviors of confidence, that means enunciation and eye contact and gestures and all the rest. These come out flawlessly when we're in that activity of really, truly trying to reach the other person.

So no matter the culture that I'm working in, that's what I'm trying to help people unlock.

So no matter the culture that I'm working in, that's what I'm trying to help people unlock.

I'm going to offer a tactical suggestion first because it's so useful and so relevant to selling. And you can do it today and make your life better right away. I teach an exercise and a skill called linguistic... Well, actually, the exercise is called finger walking. The skill is called linguistic precision. which means essentially, are you choosing words or are words just choosing you?

I'm going to offer a tactical suggestion first because it's so useful and so relevant to selling. And you can do it today and make your life better right away. I teach an exercise and a skill called linguistic... Well, actually, the exercise is called finger walking. The skill is called linguistic precision. which means essentially, are you choosing words or are words just choosing you?

So the exercise is simply when you're practicing asking questions and getting better at doing that, you walk your fingers across a table or desk, choosing each and every single word that comes out of your mouth. The finger steps are the equivalent of the act of choosing words. So in a sense, you're walking your ideas across a table.

So the exercise is simply when you're practicing asking questions and getting better at doing that, you walk your fingers across a table or desk, choosing each and every single word that comes out of your mouth. The finger steps are the equivalent of the act of choosing words. So in a sense, you're walking your ideas across a table.

Now that's the skill, but the way to apply it if you're in a selling situation is to practice asking single questions with linguistic precision. So there's no filler, no non-fluencies. And then at the end of the question, draw an imaginary question mark. in silence.

Now that's the skill, but the way to apply it if you're in a selling situation is to practice asking single questions with linguistic precision. So there's no filler, no non-fluencies. And then at the end of the question, draw an imaginary question mark. in silence.

Now, this is really powerful for people in a sales role because what you'll see is that oftentimes they're great at chitchat, they're great at the rapport building, they're really good at asking questions to learn more about the person. And then they get to the crucial moment of asking for a next meeting or asking for the business and their communication falls apart.

Now, this is really powerful for people in a sales role because what you'll see is that oftentimes they're great at chitchat, they're great at the rapport building, they're really good at asking questions to learn more about the person. And then they get to the crucial moment of asking for a next meeting or asking for the business and their communication falls apart.

And they ask like nine questions in a row and they talk really quickly and they have a bunch of stumbles and they go down and they back up and all of it crumbles.

And they ask like nine questions in a row and they talk really quickly and they have a bunch of stumbles and they go down and they back up and all of it crumbles.

And so you're practicing this very singular skill of asking one question with linguistic precision and then tolerating relaxed silence at the end so that you build the muscle of saying something like, how would you like to move this forward? When would you like to meet again? Is there anyone else that we should loop into this conversation?