Often in conversations, we tend to get wrapped up in everything we are saying, leaving out an important action that we must implement: being the 3rd camera.
See, in a conversation, there are two “cameras” – you observing and listening to the other person, and vice versa. The drawback with this approach to a conversation is that it limits how much you can pick up on your own speech and behavior. You are focused on little more besides who’s in front of you.
By being the 3rd camera, you can be closely observant of yourself and the other person in a conversation – in real-time. As the other person speaks, you can instantly align their word choice, tonation, and body language with your own composure. This then allows you to get a head start in preparing your own speech, tonation and body language – before the other person is merely halfway through their speaking.
With practice, you can subtly but effectively steer the conversation in the direction you want, and prevent people from manipulating your decision-making process.