In life you can often come across people who try to get what they want by any means possible, like this little old woman at the bakery who walked past me shamelessly to buy the last piece of flan not later than ‘yesterday. In a world where justice would be mistress, we would probably have thrown chouquettes on him with the other customers just to set an example but no, I shut my mouth and that’s it. But that’s all over, because thanks to a forum on Reddit, many users give manipulation techniques to know and which can really be useful. Not necessarily to become a real bastard by manipulating everyone, but at least to defend yourself and spot those who abuse it.
Take care of your first contact with people
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They say that the first impression is the most important, that’s why it must be successful. Smiling at people when you meet them is probably the best way to make a good entrance, but depending on who you’re talking to, using a joke or giving a compliment can actually earn you extra points within seconds. “I love this first name” or “very nice jacket” who cares, compliment something and it’s won.
Promise less to deliver more
The idea is not complicated, it’s about overvaluing something to give a more stunning result than what was expected. Example: you are given a rather long task, you estimate its duration at one week and you finally complete it in three days. You knew it would take you three days but you still look like a workaholic. Clever.
Ask and sympathize, not the other way around
You’ve probably been in the situation where someone approaches you asking questions about you like “how are you?” Where are you going ? What do you do in life ? before asking you for a favor (a cigarette, a coin, monitoring something for a few moments, etc.). During the first part of this discussion you are waiting for the counterpart of this sudden sympathy: you know that the person is asking you questions to feign interest just to ask for a favor later. By reversing the order, you will therefore ask for the request first and then discuss. On the one hand you will seem much more honest about your intentions and then you will sympathize by thanking the person, which will seem more natural.
Use silence as a negotiation weapon
An awkward silence can be a pretty powerful weapon when it comes to getting something done. Basically the idea is to let the people in front of you break this silence for you and therefore concede something. This technique can be used during a sale or a professional interview, for example after having asked something of your superior, if his negative answer is not necessarily argued and he sees that you remain silent while waiting for strong reasons for a any refusal, chances are that he wants to break this silence and end this moment by giving in to your request. If this works, please let me know.
Show your interest in something with two simple physical signs
Imagine having to take your best friend’s vacation photos or visit your cousin’s new apartment: it pisses you off, but you don’t want them to realize it. Suddenly you can simply seem intrigued with two small signs, the first is in the eyes since it is a question of looking in detail at what is shown to you with interest, each photo or each corner of the apartment. The second is to open your mouth very slightly, as if to show that you are fascinated or intrigued. I tried this one and frankly it’s crazy it works.
Make believe that doing something makes you happy to do it yourself
Ok my title is unclear, but imagine that your colleague offers to take care of cooking the cake for the birthday of someone in the team but you know full well that he cooks like a foot, if you propose to him to take care of it he will probably refuse, but if you offer to do it BECAUSE you have to practice baking, he will think that it is doing you a favor. Basically the idea is to trick people into thinking they’re doing you a favor, whether the action is in their interest or yours.
Using “I” rather than “you/you” to point to something
When you are blamed for something or someone you blame for something, the turn of the sentence and its subject can have an impact on the resolution of the situation. Imagine that you are working on something and that your interlocutor tells you “you made a mistake, you can start again? “. You will feel offended and take this failure personally, whereas if the person tells you “I think the direction is not the right one, can we start over in another way? then you’re not going to take that on your own, since the person is also mistaken, yet the result will be the same.
Let people yell and be sympathetic
For one reason or another you may find yourself in the situation where an embarrassed co-worker, an angry customer or a friend who has a big problem will complain to you. Listen to what they have to say, sincerely, let them speak. If it’s a client, you can even take small notes. Once they’re done, you can respond that you understand their displeasure while summarizing what they just told you (hence the notes). You can be almost certain that behind the customer will tell you “I know it’s not your fault”, “mistakes happen” or “sorry I got carried away” or even “here, I’m giving you my car “. A lot of people want us to understand why they’re almost so pissed off that we fix their problem.
Listen and let people talk so that they engage
In the same idea as the technique of awkward silence, you can use this fairly common technique in the world of documentary interviewing (or that shy people know despite themselves). Basically the idea is to keep quiet so people keep talking and giving information rather than trying to ask for it directly. Not only do people like to indulge but they also hate silences, they will furnish for you.
Compliment someone who beats you at sports to make them less good
Ok so this one really needs to be tested because I’m intrigued. Let’s imagine that you are playing football and that the opposing striker gives you a nice correction just by letting his muscle memory carry him (his body does all the work and he does not think about it), if you start saying to him “hey you’re on fire today, how do you do that? you will point the finger that he plays really well. There is then a good chance that his game will evolve because he will be aware that he is playing well. In other words, you’ve just taken him off autopilot and chances are he’s starting to get confused or withdrawing from the action so as not to lower the level he thinks he has.
Stop a conversation with just a look
A user of the forum gives a fairly simple way to interrupt someone who is annoying you with their stories since all you have to do is stare at the middle of your interlocutor’s forehead for a few seconds and he will be silent by asking you “I have something thing on the face? » You can then take the opportunity to move on to another subject or say « I’m sorry but I have to leave » without having had the rudeness to cut him off directly.
Ask for a small favor before a big one
You’ll think it’s bullshit, but it’s called the Benjamin Franklin effect. Basically, someone you’ve asked for a small favor is more likely to agree to return another one. We talk about cognitive dissonance in some studies, others think that a person who has already rendered service will think of himself as protective of the one he has helped and want to continue to be, or that this is sometimes a step to initiate a friendly relationship. Either way it works, but don’t overdo it anyway.
Condition people to make them evolve
So be careful, we are talking here about doing something positive. Imagine that you lead a team and that one of the members is considered a little less good, over time this “label” will be felt in his work (lack of motivation, disappointment, depression). But if you give him a task while giving him the impression that he will do an extraordinary job, you have a chance that he will surpass himself and regain his morale in the process. We call it the “Andorra effect”, which says that people adapt to the image we have of them. So you have the power to make some people feel better and that’s cool.
Get yourself interviewed by McFly and Carlito to win the youth electorate
Unstoppable, it will make you sympathetic to the young voter. Couple it with an insta story that talks about manga and rap and you’re on top for 2022.
We give you the power, it’s up to you to see what you’re going to do with it.
Source: Reddit.