How do we build Trust?
We can’t do it instantly. It takes time.
Trust is built in a series of very small moments. We have to stack trust up brick by brick. And take our time over it.
Where, though, do we find the bricks? And how do we use them?
For that, I’ll take you on a deep dive. Come with me deep into our limbic system.
Welcome to Amygdala country. That is where Trust lives.
The Amygdala plays a primary role in processing our emotional reactions and decision-making. Trust is settled by the Amygdala within a fraction of a second.
WHAT IS TRUST?
Trust is a feeling. Trust is choosing something that is important to us and making it vulnerable to the actions of someone else. When we trust, we take a risk.
So, how do we convince others, to take a risk with us? How do we convince them to trust us?
We have to earn their trust. Which takes time.
Here is a funny fact about trust:
Knowledge and expertise by themselves do NOT create trust.
It has been shown that the people we trust the most are not those who know but those who communicate that knowledge in a meaningful way. What matters is how we communicate. You can find more details in my videos on how to present the most suitable type of video.
Because we are dealing with feelings, just Doing won’t do. The basis is how we have to Be.
To create Trust we have to be:
- Authentic and
- Honest
We have to:
- Trust others first before they will trust us;
- Help others; putting this differently, we have to default to “yes” so that our first thought always is: how can I help the other person?
And, finally, we have to be:
- Patient and take the time to build trust.
With these foundations, with these attitudes in place, we can now go and Do.
Here are some basic Doing guidelines:
- Genuinely LIKE other people.
- Create EYE CONTACT, because eye contact breeds trust, and
- SMILE, but the smile must be authentic.
- Use GESTURES because our hands show intention and explanation; and
- Over-Deliver on your promises.
There you have the main building blocks to create Trust, to help others make the decision to take a risk with you.
And, yes, these building blocks can be transferred online. How do we do this? Simple, video by video by video.
And in case you are wondering what I am doing about this ‘video by video by video’ thing, this is blog post belongs no. 23 of the ‘A to Z of Video for Professional Services.’
This is at the core of my A-Z of Video for Professional Services:
Providing you with the information that empowers you to connect and build trust with your online audience; that helps you get your message right and get it out there with the most powerful online tools available; that helps you come across as a Trusted Advisor on your website and on your social media properties. You can see all of my the A-Z of Video for Professional Services on my blog.
This article was first published on the VideoMagnets.co.uk blog.