You’ve no doubt heard of the placebo effect in medicine. But have you ever thought about its effects on your every day life, your business, your relationships? A great article from the New York Times’ Science Journal described its effects to “border on the miraculous”. Here’s how they explain it: “Much of human perception is based not on information flowing into the brain from the outside world but what the brain, based on previous experience, expects to happen next.”

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Thus knee-surgery patients who in fact did not receive any surgery at all, but thought they had, reported the same amount of relief as those who’d had the real operations; and as for antidepressant drugs, they are no more effective than placebos at all. Field expert Dr. Kirsch explains that placebos are about 60% as effective as most active medications.

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The placebo effect also works “in reverse”: when a group of people who were extremely allergic to poison ivy were rubbed with a completely harmless leaf, but were told they’d been in contact with the poison, all of them developed a rash in that very spot.

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What does this mean for you? In short, you will often see what you expect to see, feel what you expect to feel, and of course, you’ll usually be capable of exactly what you expect to be capable of. No more, no less… The decision of what to expect is up to you.

When speaking of the “fight or flight” reaction in workshops and seminars, I usually give as grounds and examples the “caveman days.” But in fact, the fight or flight decision is one which is was still very much in use in 17th century, when Parisian school children as young as 7 had to carry daggers to protect themselves from thieves and kidnappers on the way to and from school! And even today, one could argue that inner-city students often face the very same decision on a daily basis…

Lisa Belkin’s New York Times article is a highly entertaining read in which highlights the dangers of wanting things your way. Remember– the more adaptable you are, the more powerful you are.

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- DON’T use negations lightly: if I say “don’t think of a white elephant”, what do you think of? Exactly. So what do you think happens when you write “no problem”? Or “don’t hesitate to call”?
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- DO use the word YOU. It should be the single most prevalent word throughout your missive– after all, it’s the only thing the reader cares about.
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- DON’T have more than three main points to your message– the human brain thinks best in triads, and has difficulty apprehending any number greater than 5.
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- DO spend some time carefully choosing the words with which you sign off your email–remember that beginnings and endings are often what people remember most.

When advising a friend recently on his transition into a new job, I suddenly realize how similar the advice was to what I recommended to my clients who were transitioning to a new role in the same company, or to a different geographic location. Just how widely could this “transition bueprint” be used for? I’ll leave that up to your creativity– and in the meantime, here it is…

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1. Start as early as possible; ideally as soon as you know of the transition. One of the main factors in the strength of a relationship, and therefore in the strength of a network, is time. If you start building your network well before your transition, by the time you actually arrive to your new position, you’ll be welcome like an old friend.

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2. Strategize: whom can you reach out to? Look at all aspects of your personality. What hobbies or interests do you have? What is your cultural background? This could be nationality, origin, or even faith. What service organizations or causes do you believe in? Each of these might have groups to reach out to in your new environment. You also want to look at potential interests, things you’ve wanted to try.

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3. Research what’s available, and map the people behind each group. Research the top people in each–what might you have in common with them? What credibility do you have in this particular field?

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4. Contact your targets, highlighting your common ground, your interest in them, and your desire to reach out and be of service.

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5. Launch reciprocity as early as possible: if you can, start being of service to the group even before your transition, so you arrive with goodwill already stored up.

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6. Set up as many meetings as possible with all of your new contacts for the month of your arrival.

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7. Use your status as a newbie to its fullest potential : This is a perfect excuse to roam the halls of your new office, meeting people from as different departments as you can, and introducing yourself to all and sundry– remember, the broader your network, the more powerful it is!