Select a word or phrase to linger over.
At meetings, in your presentations, perhaps even in casual conversations, what is the one word or phrase you want others, and yourself, to remember most?
In our church, the priests give 3-minute homilies on weekdays and 7-minute homilies on Sundays. One of them often selects a single word or phrase to emphasize. He opens with it and closes with it. Memorable.
A pharma leader I know did the same thing by highlighting the theme of a meeting at the beginning and returning to it at the end.
The classic TV show Columbo began by showing us who the murderer was and closed with the arrest. The mystery revolved around the detective's thinking.
We can start any meeting, and I emphasize any meeting, with: “It's so good to see you,” or “Thank you for meeting with me today.” As one physician said to me, “We have all the time we need today so I can answer all the questions you might have.”
Even if the person is a devoted enemy of yours, you can still begin this way.
And regardless of how the meeting goes, you can still close with: “I'm so happy we were able to discuss this today. Although it may not be resolved today, I am confident that both of us can work over the next few days to resolve it. Thank you for having the energy to meet today.”
You could also substitute a variation of courage or candor for the word energy.
When was the last time someone thanked you for disagreeing with them?