Isabella was about to give a presentation to the most important customer in the European region, representing more money for her company in one year than she had ever seen in her lifetime. The customer was not happy and Isabella was there to explain what had gone wrong.

Isabella is a warm, wonderful, caring and intelligent woman. She has no trouble connecting with people in person.

This meeting, however, was virtual with seven people Isabella had never met. None of them had their camera on. She was looking at a wall of little black squares with names written on them. They looked more like gravestones than people.

How do you build rapport with that?

When I first started coaching her, she was terrified, looking at the camera lens like it was a snake.  You can imagine the tension in her face, the look in her eyes. 

You can also imagine what the customer reaction would be. With so little confidence in herself, there was no chance Isabella would inspire confidence in any of the seven unhappy people on the call who were ready to rip into her.

Isabella‘s first big challenge was simply being comfortable.  The first thing I helped her with was getting rid of the “mental noise” in her head.  You know what I’m talking about – when your mind is ping-ponging all over the place and making you tense up.  All that mental noise kept her from having any focus. We got rid of it so she was calm, relaxed and comfortable.

I then did several exercises with her until she could comfortably look at the camera lens and imagine it was a real face, a friendly person with warm eyes, reassuringly smiling at her.

As Isabella did that, her own features transformed into a beautiful, very genuine smile. Her eyes became warm and radiant. You couldn’t help but smile back at her.

The camera lens became a portal that allowed Isabella to walk through and enter the minds and hearts of the people on the other side.

Then she practiced communicating the news, creating powerful key messages that would resonate and delivering them compassionately, with quick impact. 

As we elevated the quality of Isabella‘s communication, you could feel the transformation in the outcome Isabella now controlled.

 She inspires your confidence.  Yet she also creates a powerful emotional impact.  She is so much on your side, you can’t resist her.

In her next customer call, the miracle happened.

As Isabella was speaking, gradually the cameras came on, real faces, real people, smiling back at her, nodding, understanding, trust growing.  Understanding the problem, but willing to move forward and work with her on the solution.  Just as if they were in person.

Transformation.  Catastrophe averted.

Isabella‘s heart and whole being exploded with inner joy and celebration.

You might be thinking this is an isolated incident. It isn’t.

Our students see miracles like this regularly. Both in their communications and their presentations.  It’s the reason we at ETS love what we do. 

Our mission is to help people become powerful communicators who can accomplish their goals with the way they communicate their ideas.  Ideas have power, but only when they’re communicated well.

Real communication creates real magic. Everything else is just talking.

This is a world in need of miracles.  Every miracle you have as a communicator affects at least one other person. It uplifts them for their next conversation.

This is how the ripples in the pond go forward when one pebble is dropped into the water.  The pebbles you drop eventually reach distant shores.  Keep going and one day we’ll have a world that’s much, much easier to live in, a world filled with real communication, warmth and understanding.

The question isn’t whether or not you can create these miracles, the question is just how many  you will choose to create?

Be the cause!