Flinching.
“My appointment is at 10am. I arrive early. I sit beside some kind of magazine rack… looking at it, staring at it. My mouth is dry. I feel a slight tremor in my body.”
What percentage of folks might describe feeling nervous before many of their appointments? 50%? 70%? 90%?
The percentage is likely a ‘dun, dun, dunnn’ level-of-high, right? ‘Cause just living in a city = often flinching.
So, don’t expect folks to be as ready for your chats as you are. This is normal. But you can earn a person’s attention by offering to do something for them. For example, try offering a true listen. Because very few things will revive a person like a real listen.