Winter Break Book Report
Happy New Year! We made it.
I hope you had a fabulous winter holiday. I had a great time in the California sun, and found a few hours to do some reading.
My winter break book report:
Asking people who dislike you to do a favor for you creates a greater likelihood that they will feel positively inclined to cooperate with you in the future. Why is this? The cognitive dissonance they feel: they have inconvenienced themselves on your behalf, yet they don't like you. So that their thoughts will match their deeds, they warm up to you.
This book is a quick read, organized into fifty pithy chapters that provide ethical examples of various techniques to build consensus or help new ideas be well-received. The authors also point out how these techniques can be used unethically -- useful to know the next time you are shopping for a big purchase.
A lot of it boils down to manners, relationship-building, and a flair for linguistics and body language. In other words: fabulous fund-raising skills.
This book is a must-read for fund-raisers and highly recommended for all.