Adrenaline Rush, Good or Bad?

On our Apprentice Day

, we teach investors how to communicate effectively with property sellers.

While they make the live calls, we observe, listen and give feedback. One simple way for us to find out if a seller and an investor are in rapport is to listen to the breathing and the difference in the speed of their voices.

If you find a mismatch in the breathing patterns or if one person is talking much more quickly than the other, the conversation is "out of sync" and there is a lack of rapport. Our observations show that in the majority of cases, it's the investors who talk and breathe too quickly due to nerve. Therefore if you're conscious of this during a conversation, you can consciously control your own breathing and the speed of your voice to match those of the seller's.

Basically evolution has endowed human beings with two types of nervous systems - the "sympathetic" and "parasympathetic". The former is when your body's natural Adrenaline called "Noradrenaline" kicks in to give you "fight, flight and fright" responses, probably a legacy from our ancestors being chased by wild animals! When your sympathetic nervous system dominates, your pupils restrict, your heart pumps fast, your breathing increases and your muscles become tense. You're ready to "pounce"!

While Adrenaline and Noradrenaline are essential for our survival, too much in the wrong situations could be very debilitating. If you find yourself in a scenario where nerve has "got the better of you" and you've lost control during a conversation, TAKE A DEEP BREATH and HOLD IT for as long as you feel comfortable while you carry on talking. Breathe out slowly and repeat the process until you regain your composure. This helps you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the complete opposite.

Of course, practice makes perfect. The more sellers you call, the better you'll become in controlling your adrenaline so start practicing now.

Kind regards,

Vincent & John