6Initiating Change
Those who manipulate see an opening as a way to mislead someone into engaging in a conversation.
Those who influence see an opening as a way to determine if there are mutual benefits in engaging in a conversation.
As the shampoo commercial states, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” When preparing for a critical conversation that involves the influence of another person’s opinion or behavior, that “one chance” usually boils down to about forty-five seconds. These are precious seconds and should be handled as carefully as possible.
When I think of an opening, I think of it as a topic sentence. A topic sentence is intended to serve as an overview of the paper you are writing. Your opening should act like an ...
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