After reviewing thousands of case studies, scientific journals, books, interviews, surveys, assessments and articles on characteristics of successful communicators, it’s 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, I’ve 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, it’s 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:
With that, let’s 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=that’s me!
2) I am excellent at remembering people’s names
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
3) I return calls and emails within 24 hours
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s 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=that’s me!
5) I put my personality into everything I do and say
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
6) I talk to people before and after meetings, events, programs
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s 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=that’s 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=that’s me!
9) I listen instead of simply waiting to talk
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
10) It’s 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=that’s me!
11) I am comfortable introducing myself to anybody
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
12) I seek out and talk to ‘first timers’ or people I don’t know
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
13) I wear a nametag if one is provided for me
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s 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=that’s me!
15) I keep my arms uncrossed, even if it’s cold
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s 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=that’s 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=that’s me!
18) I let people finish jokes, even if I’ve heard them a thousand times
0=not me, 1=hardly at all, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=that’s me!
Multiply your total score by 5. This will give you an AQ between 0 and 340. Scroll down to see how you did!
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! Here are some additional resources:
1. Sign up for my bi-weekly, no-cost, no-spam email newsletter. It goes out to thousands of people around the world and is packed full of articles, blog posts, stories and examples of all things approachable!
2. Check out the books, tool kits and audio CD’s in the store. They are perfect resources to take your approachability to the next level!
3. Read any of the 60+ articles from my widely published column, Building Front Porches.
4. Hop onto HELLO, my name is Blog to see pictures, stories and examples of building front porches in action!
5. Contact me for questions, suggestions, or just to say hi. After all, I can’t tell you how to be approachable unless I am too!
