TNTs are Tiny Noticeable Things. They are all the little, cost-nothing things that we don’t need to do, but when we do do them, they can have a seismic impact and light up the faces of those around us.
Tiny Noticeable Things: The Secret Weapon to Making a Difference in Business
They could be as small as a smile or as tiny as a “thank you” - they are all about realising the importance of things that may be of little significance to us yet mean a lot to somebody else.
I spend most of my professional life talking to business leaders about how to motivate their people to deliver standout service experiences that inspire their customers to want to keep on coming back. TNTs, such as remembering someone’s name and using handwritten notes in this world of emails and texts, tend to feature in our discussions.
This morning at the gym I fell into conversation with a father and daughter training together and asked if they had any TNTs that made their household happier. Here are their Top 10:
1. Make unexpected (healthy) snacks when kids are studying to help them keep going. Similarly put ‘Good Luck’ or ‘I love You’ notes in school lunchboxes -especially during exam time.
2. Hide an essential oil diffuser above a bathroom cupboard, so it always smells nice but no-one knows why!
3. If you wake up before your partner and it’s cold outside, clear the frost off their car windows without telling them.
4. Use a cotton bud dipped in spirit alcohol or silicone cleaner to write "I love you" on a bathroom mirror. It will magically appear when someone takes a shower or has a bath.
5. Make a music playlist with all your partner's favourite songs on and have it playing in the background when they come in from work.
6. If kids are struggling with homework, suggest they take a 10 minute TV break. Use this time to Google how to solve their question. Even if you can’t find an answer, they will appreciate a problem shared.
7. If getting everyone out of the house each weekday morning always seems unnecessarily fraught, take the trouble the night before to collect up all the shoes, bags, coats and lunchboxes, and place them ready in the hallway. This will be especially appreciated if you are not the one who is around to help in the morning. On a Sunday evening, give all the shoes a quick clean.
8. When you or your partner struggle to get through your chores, ask the other to make a quick list - they are allowed to choose their least favourite task to delegate.
9. Be seen to listen to family members. Next time you all sit round a table having a family meal together, have a basket in the middle where everyone puts their mobile phone.
10. Learn from your dog. When your dog comes into your house from outside, the chances are they will go around each family member checking they are okay before settling into their usual routine. Make sure you do the same.
Adrian Webster is one of the UK’s leading motivational speakers and author of Tiny Noticeable Things: The Secret Weapon to Making a Difference in Business out now, priced £14.99
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