Dr. Marc Siegel, clearly a very intelligent and experienced physician, has trouble getting his message across. In this 3-minute segment with three goofball news anchors, he tries to communicate some points about salt, but quickly loses control of the discussion: As the only one there with any medical training, or any experience actually treating disease, he should be controlling the … Read more
I’ve written before about the power of agreement as a tool of persuasion. Most people expect their “opposite” to disagree and fight them. So when you agree with someone, even if just on the surface, you immediately interrupt that predictable pattern. You get their attention, and you start validating their ego. With the egotistical issues … Read more
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that good networking feels a lot like meeting new friends. Oftentimes we associate “networking” with a very business-focused, “formal” kind of vibe. But that’s just one, very specific type of networking. People definitely want to hire or do business with someone who is professional. But they also want someone … Read more
Cold reading is a statement or guess about someone that is based on a very limited amount of information about them. It often comes in the form of a “high-probability guess.” Psychics use cold reads all the time: [To someone who arrived right on time for their appointment] “You are a very conscientious and detail-oriented person, … Read more
In a few weeks the UK will go to the polls and elect a new Parliament. The Conservative party of Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to win decisively. The second-biggest party is the Labor party. The leader of Labor is Jeremy Corbyn, who faces off against May during the Prime Minister’s Questions. Looking at … Read more
Persuasion is a tool that almost anyone can learn to use. But just like all tools, what matters is the person using it, their intentions and ethics. I told someone recently that I help people to become more persuasive and effective at communicating. He responded flatly “I don’t like to be persuasive. I like to … Read more
I just hosted another successful networking event tonight here in NYC with some amazing partners and collaborators. One thing I have noticed is that in networking situations, human beings tend to ask the exact same questions over and over. While this makes things somewhat boring and predictable, it’s understandable. People are often uncertain how to engage … Read more
I’m a big believer that if you don’t really believe in what you are selling–whether that is an idea, a product, a service or yourself–you will fail. You can always force yourself to “hype” something that you don’t really believe in. But that’s a short-term play, not a path to long-term sustained value. Unless you are destitute … Read more
Have you ever found yourself being a blabbermouth? You just talk and talk, going off on tangents and unrelated anecdotes. You try to convey an idea, describe a product, or make an argument, but you end up getting lost in a word salad of your own making. And you can tell your counterpart is bored … Read more
Reframing happens when you create a new context, or a new “frame” for a discussion. It’s one of the most powerful and effective ways of communicating. Reframing is especially critical when you are trying to compete for attention or acceptance. By reframing the entire conversation, or the way your counterpart thinks about the issue, you shift … Read more