Book-Marketing Tip of the Weekend – November 11-12, 2017

It is important to stand while at your exhibit. If you sit, then stand only when people come up to you, it can appear as being aggressive. This was proven in a recent article in the "Harvard Business Review" According to the article, "Our research shows that people feel more negative toward stimuli when the stimuli appear to be oncoming." This theory was even tested with the happy-face emoticon. It was rated as "very positive," but the ratings declined when the emotion was perceived to be approaching.

 

The theory was even applied to speaking before a group. Many speakers believe that listeners will react more favorably if the speaker gets out from behind the podium and approaches them. "But an undercurrent of negative feeling will increase as you get nearer" to the people in the audience. "They feel you are invading their space." According to the authors, "You might be better off starting a speech near the audience – maybe a short distance from the front row – and staying there." And, "Beware of moving toward people or shoving a product in their direction. Their evolutionary instincts will kick in, and their opinion of you or the product will start to fall."