Are you brilliant? Well, convince me!
Atomic ideas from 'Convinced'
Last week, I finished watching ‘The Designated Survivor’ (on Netflix) and one of the most elegant silence in the series (would really recommend watching this) was when the accidental president, Tom Kirkman was asked ‘why are you running for president’.
In 1979, senator Ted Kennedy who was campaigning for the US presidency was asked the same question in one of the high-profile TV interviews.
“Senator, why do you want to be President?”
Ted took Ten incredibly long seconds passed – an eternity of dead air – before Kennedy came up with an answer. This was the precise moment when Kennedy’s presidential campaign inexorably started downhill (inspite of him winning the Times polls with 54% votes).
Apparently, he wasn’t prepared for this question and failed to give a convincing answer. It didn’t matter whether he was competent or not - he lost the perception war post that interview.
The question is if you are competent, why do you need to prove it? Why do you have to convince others, when you are good at what you do?
(Unfortunate) truth is that you need to.
Competence does not speak for itself! You can't simply display it; you have to draw people's attention to it - Jack Nasher.
Sharing atomic ideas from the book ‘Convinced by mentalist Jack Nasher). The core idea of the book is straightforward: It’s not your actual competence that counts. It’s how people perceive your competence that makes the difference.
Note: A lot of ideas from this book is controversial - and though I don’t agree with it 100%, but I believe you still need to be aware of them decide for yourself. So here we go 👇
You can apply impression management techniques, tools and tactics to convince others of your competence. Persuading others gives you a tremendous advantage over people who are equally competent but can’t differentiate themselves.
Eight pillars of competence
Showcase Your Skills
Competence, even brilliance, isn’t self-evident. You must showcase your skills, expertise and competence, so they resonate most strongly with those whom you want to impress.
Brilliance does not speak for itself. You can, in fact, be the best in the world and no one will notice.
Projecting Competence
Use the technique of priming your audience by projecting competence from within.
For example, suppose your boss asks you to stand in front of your colleagues and answer several questions. “What are you good at?” “What was your greatest professional success?” “Why should you, of all people, take on the responsibility for an upcoming project?”
Prime yourself by developing answers in advance to these and other likely questions.
Associate Yourself with Good News
Positive news radiates positively over every other aspect of a person or event, and bad news does so negatively.
Always deliver good news face-to-face, not by phone or email. If you make a presentation sharing good news, stretch it out as long as possible. After your presentation, don’t immediately retreat from the podium. Every second you stand there will solidify your association with that good news.
(Question: do you know of any politician following this to the core ? 😊 Please reply)
The Competence Formula
You can’t directly assess the factor by which competence contributes to successful performance and/or achievement. Many aspects play a part in any successful outcome. Elements of the competence formula include performance, ability, motivation, dealing with difficulty and luck.
Master Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
More than any other technique, “power talking” will enable you to maximize how others perceive your competence.
Success or failure has surprisingly little influence on the perception of competence. One can appear to be competent despite vast failure and seem incompetent in the midst of immense success.
Your Speech Patterns
Powerless speech indicates a lack of status. On the other hand, power talking suggests elevated social status. To speak powerfully, avoid the “uhs.” Don’t repeat yourself.
Make your speech – and speech patterns – crystal clear and direct.
The Halo Effect
The greater your attraction and popularity, the greater will be your perceived competence. Project tact, authenticity and self-confidence.
The more popular you are, the greater will be your perceived competence. The same is true about being more attractive.
Popularity and attractiveness are positive indicators.
Judging Other People’s Competence Is Hard
Recognizing Their Incompetence Is Easier
Reliably determining competence in others is a valuable skill. This takes on crucial significance when it comes, for example, to selecting a lawyer, a surgeon, or a financial professional.
Because accurately determining someone’s competence is so difficult, try to judge his or her intelligence instead. Intelligence directly relates to and points to competence.
How To Spot Intelligence
Highly intelligent people generally:
Speak clearly and cogently without any hesitation.
Establish strong eye contact during conversations with people.
Possess ample self-confidence.
Stay alert and react quickly.
Happy convincing!
-ashish
 | A guest post by
|