After reviewing thousands of case studies, scientific journals, books, interviews, surveys, assessments and articles on characteristics of successful communicators, its unanimous which attribute stands out the most: approachability. The only problem is, there is no existing measure to discover how approachable or unapproachable you are.
Until now.
In my articles, speeches and books, Ive explored a myriad of techniques to MAXIMIZE your approachability one conversation at a time. However, in order to get the most out of these systems, its important to first understand your Approachability Quotient (AQ).
Now, before you begin to calculate your AQ, ask yourself the following three questions to get yourself into an approachable state of mind:
Who is the most unapproachable person you know? Why? With that, lets move on and find out how approachable you really are. Please honestly answer the following 18 questions on a scale of 0-4:
The Front Porch Productions AQ Test
1) I constantly enlarge and stay in touch with my social, business and
personal network
0=not me 1=hardly at all 2=sometimes 3=often 4=thats me!
2) I am excellent at remembering peoples names
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
3) I return calls and emails within 24 hours
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
4) I smile when I'm introduced and say goodbye to someone
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
5) I put my personality into everything I do and say
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
6) I talk to people before and after meetings, events, programs
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
7) I will listen to other people's viewpoints and ideas, even if I don't agree
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
8) I make sure every person in the group is involved in the conversation
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
9) I listen instead of simply waiting to talk
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
10) Its equally easy to get a hold of me via phone, email or in person
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
11) I am comfortable introducing myself to anybody
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
12) I seek out and talk to first timers or people I dont know
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
13) I wear a nametag if one is provided for me
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
14) I admit when I'm wrong, don't know, or when I've screwed up
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
15) I keep my arms uncrossed, even if it's cold
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
16) I address both trivial and serious problems of coworkers or
colleagues who come to me
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
17) I verbally tell people to "call me if they need anything"
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
18) I let people finish jokes, even if Ive heard them a thousand times
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=thats me!
Multiply your total score by 5. This will give you an AQ between 0 and 340. Scroll down to see how you did!
0-90 Ouch. You lack approachability. Please email me I can help!
91-180 Your approachability needs improvement. Still email me!
181-270 Your approachability is good, but could be better.
271 to 360 Congrats! Your front porch is open for business.
Now that you know your Approachability Quotient, you are ready to begin MAXIMIZING your approachability!
