Why I Need To See You!
Hello there, kitten face (said while slowly sipping my coffee and lovingly tilting my head towards you)! It turns out that we are wired to connect which means that I need to see you. Literally. We need to see one another. I’m not even kidding.
Ever wonder why we see faces in so many objects? Here’s the science explaining why.
“Our brain has evolved to facilitate social interaction, and this shapes the way that we see the world around us. There is an evolutionary advantage to being really good or really efficient at detecting faces, it’s important to us socially. It’s also important in detecting predators. So if you’ve evolved to be very good at detecting faces, this might then lead to false positives, where you sometimes see faces that aren’t really there. Another way of putting this is that it’s better to have a system that’s overly sensitive to detecting faces, than one that is not sensitive enough.”
In short, evolution has hardwired us to spot faces and we’ve gotten really good at it. And thank goodness because my life would not be as full without these little gems popping up every now and then!
How does this relate to my life you ask? Glad you asked (said while munching on a bite of coffee soaked biscotti).
Quick story.
Years ago I managed a training department and needed to place an order of books to update our curriculum. I was in contact with a sales representative via phone and was deciding on the best book edition to meet our training requirements. It was your typical interaction but when the sales rep sent me an email detailing the book options, her signature was accompanied by her contact information and a photo of her with her pet horse.
Similar to this photo…
I didn’t see that coming, yet I immediately felt like I knew the sales rep better. This one small picture offered me an insight into her life and gave me a sense of connection. It was both ridiculous and effective. I still laugh when I think about it because I would have never thought to include a picture of myself with my pet in a work setting. Yet it worked…she made the sale and we had some lovely conversations to boot. And, of course, we talked about the horse.
Does this mean you need to put a picture of you with a horse in every email?
Ummm, let’s not be so literal and think more about the message--just include a picture!
Take it from LinkedIn Career Expert Nicole Williams,
“One of the biggest mistakes I see is no photo,” Williams says. “You’re seven times more likely to have your profile viewed if you have one. Like a house that’s on sale, the assumption is that if there’s no photo, something’s wrong.”
And isn’t that the truth! We scroll past things without pictures. We need to see faces. Even avatars work.
It’s time to face it. Literally. If you don’t have a picture in your email signature, in your online virtual accounts (like Zoom), or on LinkedIn, or your website (gasp!), etc. make it a priority to get it done today! It matters. Being seen and connecting with others requires a face.
Your co-pilot (who can’t wait to see your adorable face!),
