DO Talk To Strangers – How To Connect With Anyone, Anywhere is a book for Difference-Makers everywhere. It’s a book that will support your personal and professional development – and we’ll create a more connected world. We all crave connection, yet we fall into the trap of busyness, shyness, and underestimating the impact of our smiles and courtesy in the world around us.
We’re launching this week in our local library and in bookstores across Australia and New Zealand. Would you like a little preview? Below are a few thoughts from the introduction, page 21, pictured here with David Hoopers drawing of Venice in the early morning.
From the Introduction
Who are you so grateful that you connected with? When you consider your relationships, you’ll see that the people you know have:
• always been there
• were introduced to you by a mutual friend or acquaintance
• introduced themselves to you, or
• you introduced yourself.
These last two are the opportunities that could easily have been missed, but someone had the confidence to talk to a stranger, which most of us were warned not to do when we were children. It’s a natural activity for the brain to assess a stranger as either ‘friend’ or ‘foe’. Far too often, the brain makes the incorrect assumption that a stranger is a foe. At the Neuroleadership Summit in 2013, neuroscientist Jessica Payne shared evidence of how a blank or neutral expression is read as a threat.
Are you willing to be open to the idea that strangers are actually friends you haven’t met yet?
Perhaps you’ve made that decision, and you are the person who smiles at everyone in the street, waves and says hello. If you are this person, then you know what an exciting adventure it is to meet people. Attendees of conferences I’ve spoken at often send me messages in the weeks that follow about how they’ve made a conscious choice to be open to make eye contact, smile and say hello to people, and they’re finding it surprisingly easy and rewarding. “It really enriches my day – and theirs”, they report.
If you wonder how could people possibly connect with total strangers, if you’re curious about this, then you might just find this book a life-changer. If you’re thinking, “I always talk to strangers – I could have written this book”, please enjoy the journey here as you relate to our adventures. Also please write and tell me your own adventures or join the conversation on social media (#DoTalkToStrangers) and continue to encourage others.
SO, join the conversation – from wherever you are!
If you’re in or around Dubbo – join us at Macquarie Regional Library at 5pm on Tuesday 9 December, or ask your local library and bookstore to get the book in!
And if you want to get your signed copy in the mail ASAP, order here – or ask your local bookstore for a copy.
Enjoy! Go and connect with someone, somewhere!
Cheering you on,
Kerrie
For the Library – just turn up (but I’d love to know you’re coming) – call or text 0409 982 432
To order the book CLICK HERE
