Expert Describes How The Littlest Mistakes Can Cause The Biggest Problems

Barely a day goes by when we don't hear about how somebody somewhere said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Smart people, educated people, and even people with lots of experience make mistakes when they are talking to others and have encounters in business or in their personal life. And the consequences of those mistakes have an incredibly significant impact on our careers and every other part of our lives.

Businesses spend millions and millions every year trying to bring in new customers, define their images, promote their brands, and improve their legacies in customers' minds. All that money spent is of little value unless the people in front of the customers know how to connect with them and know how to handle themselves in every encounter.

Los Angeles based entrepreneur and restaurant chain owner Kevin McCarney studied people's responses and reactions in hundreds of thousands of different situations and watched as the consequences of those reactions played out. He spent years of seeking to understand why people react the way they do. He developed a very simple theory to explain what he discovered:

Your Big Brain is your key to happiness and success, while your Little Brain is always close by, waiting for an opportunity to jump in and get you in trouble.

Based on the encounters he's witnessed in business and human relationships, one truth stands out:

The littlest slip-ups often cause the biggest problems.

In his new book, THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION, he distills the nebulous world of interpersonal relationships into a simple guide to effective encounters. In fact, he offers up a breakthrough idea that can have an immediate and beneficial effect on the outcome of the encounters people have anywhere and everywhere.

Very simply, McCarney points out that achieving success with people is not usually about what you say or do directly, but rather in the choices we make when and how we respond to a person or a situation.

Think about it! How we respond has an immediate impact on us as well as a residual impact. We will be living with our choices long after we make them. He then explains that if we are aware of the outcome we want from a situation, it's easy to make the right choices in how we respond.

His book is chock-filled with dozens of simple yet profound insights and superb illustrations that make his ideas easy to understand and apply. Here's a sample:

- The biggest influence on choosing between your Little Brain and your Big Brain isn't always something outside you. It's often you yourself.

- You are always creating moments. Every day brings dozens of opportunities to create moments that will make a difference in your life and the lives of others. The choice is yours as to what kind of moment you want to create. Always remember though, someone is always watching.

- Trust is the single most important element in any relationship. Every conversation, every encounter is an opportunity to gain trust with those around us or undermine their trust in us. Every encounter is an opportunity to make a good choice. A positive encounter sets the stage for positive, Big Brain-driven, successful moments and legacies.

Every conversation has opportunities to create memorable moments. Just by being present and attentive in the conversation, you'll more likely be able to recognize whose moment it is-and be able to make the most of it for everyone. Good gossip creates a powerful legacy.

The Secrets of Succcessful Communication is a powerful toolbox filled with valuable ways to help people have effective encounters in business and in their personal lives.



Available in bookstores nationwide and online. For more information visit www.BigBrain.com

About the Author

Kevin McCarney is the founder of the Poquito M?s restaurant chain, wh