Tool No 35: Declutter
HOW? Sitting: Clear the surface of the table in front of you. Standing up: Remove furniture and everything else in a two-metre radius, so you are surrounded by as much empty space as possible.
Clear surfaces convey an air of calm. If you are surrounded by empty space when you speak, you look more at ease than if you say exactly the same thing while surrounded by all sorts of stuff.
Trine, one of the people I have trained, benefited greatly from decluttering. When chairing meetings, she used to sit behind a long table covered with computers, papers, cans, coffee cups, files and notes. It all looked so messy – and therefore Trine’s presentation seemed to be a bit of a mess, too.
We are so used to filling empty surfaces with stuff that the effect is quite dramatic when we do the opposite.
