HYPE YOUR EXCELLENCE

How tactfully or unobtrusively do you hype your excellence? Principled persuaders move carefully along verbal tightropes all day long. A given idea, well-articulated, will take you to your destination at the other end of the rope. Poorly expressed, though, that rope could become the noose by which you hang yourself. It all depends on how you say what you have to say.

If you rely on your reputation, you might fail to connect with your prospective influencee. But it is possible to “brag” so unobtrusively that your listener wants to hear more.

Take this statement, for example: “I’ve been a telemarketer for the last six years. I know what I’m talking about.” How could you hype your experience without sounding quite so abrasive ...

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