Title: Infectious: How to Connect Deeply and Unleash the
Energetic Leader Within
Author: Nowak, Achim
Call Number: 658.45 N946I 2013
Subjects: Leadership; Success in Business; Success; Business
Communication; Interpersonal Communication; Interpersonal relations
Number of Pages: 197
ISBN: 9781581159240
Book Description (from inside of the book cover):
Technology
allows us to communicate at a furious pace. We exchange more and more emails
every day. We text. We tweet. We have reduced our communications down to
efficient sound bites-and at the same time, many of us seem to know less and
less about how to connect. Deeply, profoundly connect.
In Infectious, acclaimed performance coach
Achim Nowak introduces the reader to his powerful Four Levels of Connection. Tested
and honed through fifteen years of coaching senior-level executives around the
globe, Nowak’s techniques instantly elevate the skills taught in traditional
business communication and neurolinguistic programming. People who connect
deeply with others connect on four levels: They shape conversations with
effortless grace, and they play consciously with the unspoken elements of a
connection-personal power, intent, and energy. The result? Infectious
connections that accelerate personal success!
Infectious offers clear language tools
that frame any conversation. It breaks the idea of power into five tangible
plugs that we can turn to-and turn on These plugs recharge the quality of our
connection with anyone we meet. It identifies three distinct social intents,
and how our clarification of these intents fosters a more potent connection.
Finally, this book demystifies the experience of energy-the deepest of the four
levels, and the root of any connection. It looks at how we access our energy.
Remove energy blocks. Play with energy and own it.
This
electrifying book reshapes the hidden forces of a connection into simple,
step-by-step actions. Apply the tools of Infectious
and generate your own infectious connections!
My Read:
I got
curious at what the author wants to accomplish in his book right from the
beginning at reading the introduction section. Here is what he shares under the
statement “Connectability Is Mission Critical:” The most common request we
receive goes something like this:” Marjorie is a Senior VP and one of our
brightest stars. She is highly respected by all of her colleagues But Marjorie
lacks executive presence. Can you
help her?” Executive presence is a
marvelous code word that encapsulates a lot of unspoken signals and messages.
In plain English, it boils down to this: Marjorie doesn’t engage or inspire
folks. Her energy doesn’t spark the imagination of others. She fails to connect
(Introduction, page xii).
As one
could tell right from the introduction being able to connect with others is
what the author intends to deliver in his book. There are four levels of
connection according to the author. They are: Talk, Power, Intent, and Energy.
Level One-Talk:
Language Is an Aphrodisiac—There are five principals in this chapter:
Principal #1: Invite Me in-Use emotional cue words and
language that draw your speaking partner into a conversation with you (page
49).
Principal #2: Open the Door-Be curious. Take a risk Notice
the doors. Choose to open them (page 49).
Principal #3: Have a Point of View: When you state your
viewpoint, you invite me to share my viewpoint in turn. It immediately enriches
our conversation (page 50).
Principal #4: Own Your Stories: Stories have impact when
they are told well. There are Moment Stories, Meaning Stories, and Life Stories
(page 50).
Principal #5: Reframe the Conversation: Artful reframing
elegantly shifts the direction of our chat, especially when we find ourselves
in a conversation that seems to be going nowhere (page 50).
Level Two-Power:
Power Is Real—According to the author there are five kinds of power:
position power, relationship power, expertise power, body power, and charisma
power.
Five ways to better plug into your position power (page
71-72):
1)
Be comfortable saying “yes” or “no” and setting
limits
2)
Trust your gut instinct when you speak
3)
Enjoy stating your point of view
4)
Invite disagreement
5)
Take charge of situations with ease
Five ways to better plug into your relationship power (page
75-76):
1)
Initiate contact with strangers
2)
Take pleasure in telling others about yourself
3)
Choose to be interested in others
4)
Make people feel good
5)
Stay in touch with people you know
Five ways to better plug into your expertise power
(page80-81):
1)
Claim what you know-with humility
2)
Hang out with people who appreciate your
expertise
3)
Find joy in bouncing ideas off other people
4)
Be of service
5)
Conduct an expertise power exercise
Five ways to better plug into your body power (page 87-88):
1)
Make physical fitness a true priority
2)
Eat food that energize you
3)
Have a personal sense of style
4)
Listen to your body
5)
Pay attention to how you feel about your body
Five ways to better plug into your charisma power (page
91-92)
1)
Enjoy being the center of attention
2)
Put fire into the conversation
3)
Express an impulse
4)
Choose visceral language (i.e. brilliant,
dazzling, pungent, sizzling, wrenching, brimming, etc)
5)
Think 20%
Level Three: Intent
Charges the Atmosphere—The author lists three core intents (page 106):
Core Intent #1: I create the impact I desire
Core Intent #2: I create the tone I desire
Core Intent #3: I choose the social roles I will play
There are three intent principals: 1) Pick an action verb.
In the book the author shares 8 sample intent verbs: to motivate you; to
persuade you; to inspire you; to entertain you; to move you; to challenge you;
to enchant you; to provoke you; to delight you. 2) The verb needs to describe
the impact you wish to have on another person. The author compiles a list of 8
common tonal polarities for the readers as reference. They are:
sincere/sarcastic, warm/cold, brainy/silly, neutral/opinionated,
passionate/dispassionate, kind/harsh, relaxed/tense, playful/serious. 3) Pick a
verb that stimulate the heck out of you!
Level Four: Energy
Conquers All-In this chapter the author introduces energy or we can call it
“life force.” There are different names goes with the word energy. The Hindus
call it prana, the Japanese ki, the Chinese qi or chi. Breath, and the way we
breathe, is by most cultures viewed as the source of this original life force
(page 127). Here the author introduces our seven chakras with each chakra’s
location, functions, and what will happen when the chakra is blocked. Each
chakra has its own color which matches the colors of a rainbow.
First Chakra is red and it’s the Root chakra. It’s the
energy of survival and stability. When it’s blocked we tend to hold onto anger
and rage in the first Chakra.
Second Chakra is orange and it’s the Sex Chakra. It’s the
energy of full self-expression. When it’s blocked we may become manipulative or
turn into excessive power-seekers.
Third Chakra is yellow and it’s the Power Chakra. It
influences our sense of self and self-esteem. It fuels our personality, ego,
and our concern with how others perceive us. When it’s blocked we may have
plenty of personal inhibitions or display a pedantic, overly-intellectual
approach to life.
Fourth Chakra is green and it’s the Heart Chakra. The Heart
Chakra unlocks our ability to feel love, compassion, and empathy. When it’s
blocked we are prone to experiencing a lot of fear and quick mood swings.
Fifth Chakra is blue and it’s the Communication Chakra. This
Chakra supports our ability to communicate clearly, express ourselves well, and
speak the truth. When it’s blocked we stop expressing our thought and feelings
and “shut down.”
Sixth Chakra is indigo and it’s the Wisdom Chakra. This
sixth Chakra connects us to our intuition and gut instincts, and it activates
our psychic powers. When it’s blocked we may feel depressed, confused, or
mentally clouded.
Seventh Chakra is violet and it’s called the Divine Chakra.
This seventh Chakra is our connection to spiritual abundance and the divine.
When it’s blocked we feel frustrated with not expressing our true nature and
potential.
To sum up
what I have learned from reading this book, the part I find mostly helpful comes
from the Intent Level. When one has to deliver a public speaking or do some
presentation, the three core intents the author provides will serve well as the
guidelines and helpful tips leading to a successful presentation. Let’s repeat
the three golden rules that we have to know about an objective:
1)
The objective needs to be an action verb.
2)
It needs to describe the impact I seek to have
on another person.
3)
It needs to be visceral for me.
“Thought determines how reality unfolds.”—The New Thought
Movement, Niels Bohr, Konstantin Stanislavsky.
Reference:
Chakras
Chi
Ki
Prana
qi
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