On the Culture Show a few weeks ago, there were some art critics visiting an exhibition of snow sculptures. Most people enjoyed the whole experience and then the inevitable question came of how worthwhile was this when they were just going to melt away as the seasons changed.

A member of the public, when asked this, said “It only takes 1 minute to make an impression.”

In the management development world we may be aware of the implications of first impressions etc., but I found this more meaningful in the broader sense of communicating. Something communicated meaningfully need only take a minute but will last much longer in the receivers’ mind and heart.