Effective people skills don't come naturally to us, so reading 48 Laws Of Power was like acquiring a list of everything I was doing wrong. Growing up, you probably heard counterproductive phrases like 'you're perfect just the way you are' and 'just be yourself'. That sort of unstrategic weakness needs to be aggressively uprooted in favor of powerful social strategies. A small sampling:
Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy or Gratitude.
Achieving power often requires seeking help from people above you. But you can’t just blurt out what you want — there’s an art to asking.
According to Law 13 of the 48 Laws of Power, to succeed in getting what you want, you have to focus not on your desires, but on those of the other person. She probably couldn’t care less about your needs, and if you focus on them, she’ll view you as desperate or as an annoyance.
Also, don’t make the mistake of basing your appeal on such irrelevant things as your loyalty, friendship, or favors you’ve done for the other person in the past. Appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy.
Law 13: Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy (48 Laws of Power)
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument.
Arguing your point rarely changes anyone’s mind — even when you appear to win, you lose because you stir up resentment. A far better way of getting others to agree with you is to demonstrate your point without saying anything. People believe what they can see. Win through your actions, never through argument.
What does it mean to win through your actions, never through argument? When you argue with someone, even if they seem to agree with you, you can never be certain they really do.
They may politely assent, while secretly resenting you. Or your choice of words may have offended them. In any case, people distrust words because they know you’ll say anything, including offering bogus sources and statistics, to bolster your case.
Winning through your actions, never through argument is more effective and powerful. Your target can see the evidence in front of her — there are no words to be misinterpreted. British architect Sir Christopher Wren knew the power of demonstration over argument. When he built a town hall for the city of Westminster, the mayor worried that the second floor would fall on his office below. Wren knew this was impossible, but instead of arguing he installed two more columns and the mayor was satisfied. Years later, workers on a high scaffold discovered that the columns weren’t touching the ceiling.
When you win through your actions, never through argument, you don’t make your opponents defensive, and they’re more open to seeing what you want them to see, and thus to agreeing with you.
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument (48 Laws of Power)
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I'm expecting remarks about this book being evil, with which I'd agree. But it won't make YOU evil, just as learning effective martial arts fighting tactics do not make a person more inclined to start fights. 48 Laws caused me to become more gentlemanly and less vulnerable, and it might do the same for you. Thoughts?
Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy or Gratitude.
Achieving power often requires seeking help from people above you. But you can’t just blurt out what you want — there’s an art to asking.
According to Law 13 of the 48 Laws of Power, to succeed in getting what you want, you have to focus not on your desires, but on those of the other person. She probably couldn’t care less about your needs, and if you focus on them, she’ll view you as desperate or as an annoyance.
Also, don’t make the mistake of basing your appeal on such irrelevant things as your loyalty, friendship, or favors you’ve done for the other person in the past. Appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy.
Law 13: Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy (48 Laws of Power)
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument.
Arguing your point rarely changes anyone’s mind — even when you appear to win, you lose because you stir up resentment. A far better way of getting others to agree with you is to demonstrate your point without saying anything. People believe what they can see. Win through your actions, never through argument.
What does it mean to win through your actions, never through argument? When you argue with someone, even if they seem to agree with you, you can never be certain they really do.
They may politely assent, while secretly resenting you. Or your choice of words may have offended them. In any case, people distrust words because they know you’ll say anything, including offering bogus sources and statistics, to bolster your case.
Winning through your actions, never through argument is more effective and powerful. Your target can see the evidence in front of her — there are no words to be misinterpreted. British architect Sir Christopher Wren knew the power of demonstration over argument. When he built a town hall for the city of Westminster, the mayor worried that the second floor would fall on his office below. Wren knew this was impossible, but instead of arguing he installed two more columns and the mayor was satisfied. Years later, workers on a high scaffold discovered that the columns weren’t touching the ceiling.
When you win through your actions, never through argument, you don’t make your opponents defensive, and they’re more open to seeing what you want them to see, and thus to agreeing with you.
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument (48 Laws of Power)
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I'm expecting remarks about this book being evil, with which I'd agree. But it won't make YOU evil, just as learning effective martial arts fighting tactics do not make a person more inclined to start fights. 48 Laws caused me to become more gentlemanly and less vulnerable, and it might do the same for you. Thoughts?
