1) I am currently reading "Pre-suasion" by Robert Cialdini. It's a brilliant book. Cialdini is an academic, and I admire his ability to write a rigorous yet fascinating book, where he makes his points almost entirely through case studies and stories. It has 230 pages of content , followed by 100 pages of academic references ( yes, a listing of about about 1000 papers ! ) , and 80 pages of notes. Some reviews claimed that they felt 'cheated' by the book, as only half of it was 'real' content. I was rather amused by these claims. I would rather Cialdini explain the concepts in 230 pages than in 400. I think I bought the book for about 10 dollars, and it would still be a steal at 10 times the price. Cialdini probably added a listing of those 1000 references to establish the level of rigour behind some of his absurd-seeming claims, but I didn't think it was necessary. I would have believed him anyway :)
I have been yelling from rooftops (figuratively speaking of course; I don't have access to the terrace at the apartment complex I stay in) that logic is not the all-powerful force. I have read about two thirds of the book, and Cialdini leads me to wonder if logic is of any use at all ;) If you think you have a logical, well constructed, well reasoned argument that you shall present to persuade someone about the merit in your idea, you would be grossly mistaken in your assessment of its effectiveness. Read this book to find out why. Cialdini is better known for his other book - 'Influence' ( which I am yet to read, though I am aware of its ideas). but this one is a great read as well...
2) One of the more interesting things I've come across and studied a little recently is Transactional Analysis - a theory of personality. I love the concept of ego states, and it is a simple and powerful framework to analyze interactions. Unlike other personality theories that coin fancy terms to intimidate readers, TA is relatively simple and immediately applicable.
3) One of the other things I have been doing this year, is giving speeches. I am getting better as a speaker. My last speech was on reciprocity styles, based on Adam Grant's work.. If you're curious to discover what your reciprocity style is, you can take his quiz here :
https://www.adamgrant.net/give-and-take-assessment
I have been yelling from rooftops (figuratively speaking of course; I don't have access to the terrace at the apartment complex I stay in) that logic is not the all-powerful force. I have read about two thirds of the book, and Cialdini leads me to wonder if logic is of any use at all ;) If you think you have a logical, well constructed, well reasoned argument that you shall present to persuade someone about the merit in your idea, you would be grossly mistaken in your assessment of its effectiveness. Read this book to find out why. Cialdini is better known for his other book - 'Influence' ( which I am yet to read, though I am aware of its ideas). but this one is a great read as well...
2) One of the more interesting things I've come across and studied a little recently is Transactional Analysis - a theory of personality. I love the concept of ego states, and it is a simple and powerful framework to analyze interactions. Unlike other personality theories that coin fancy terms to intimidate readers, TA is relatively simple and immediately applicable.
3) One of the other things I have been doing this year, is giving speeches. I am getting better as a speaker. My last speech was on reciprocity styles, based on Adam Grant's work.. If you're curious to discover what your reciprocity style is, you can take his quiz here :
https://www.adamgrant.net/give-and-take-assessment
4 comments:
One of the early influencers in my life was the book I'm Ok, You're Ok by Thomas Harris. Since you mentioned transactional analysis, have you read that? If yes, any thoughts?
Pray, where do you give your speeches? Do you record them?
I have not read that book. How did you like it ?
I give my speeches at toastmasters. I record them on the phone for practice a day before the actual speech, to track my improvement :)
I don't remember the details of the book, other than its basic premise. I had read it a long time ago - probably in the break after 12th board exams. Maybe a re-read is beckoning. But I do remember it had a big influence on my outlook towards life.
Thanks for the recommendation. Will keep in mind.
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