HOW TO KEEP SOMEONE’S ATTENTION

Main Dual Selection

This month we’re offering a couple of books that deal with the crux of all communication and relationships (business or personal), by two giants in the field: Wayne Baines and Rugby Doobie.

HOW TO KEEP SOMEONE’S ATTENTION

Psychological research shows that readers of your writing give you only two to ten seconds to impress them before moving on. The eye of the reader scans the page like an old-time prospector, scouting territory for nuggets, panning for gold in river after river. He doesn’t stay in one place very long. If he doesn’t find anything after a short time, he likely moves along to another claim.

So what’s this mean to you? Plenty. No matter how you communicate with people, whether you write memos or a column, give speeches, or even give them orders face to face, the result is the same: you’ve got to make your point quickly. If you don’t cut right to the chase, and drive that point home as concisely as possible, you’re not communicating as effectively as you could be.

And if you communicate sloppily, of course the attention of the reader or listeners will lag. Their minds will start to wander. (For the sake of convenience, we’ll call refer to both readers and listeners as “information consumers”. ) You’ll be talking away, innocently (and blissfully) unaware that your information consumer is busy thinking about that earthquake in Greenland. Or those new parking regulations recently enacted by the city of Miami. Or whatever it was they had for breakfast. (My favorite breakfast is a Western omelette with lots of ketchup, and bagels with strawberry jam.)

I once gave a lengthy before-dinner speech at a business convention. I was feeling pretty impressed with myself when one of the executives who’d attended caught up with me later that evening in the bar. He told me that he’d hated my speech, that I’d put him through hell and that one day I’d pay for it. For my part, I confess that I’d had too much to drink; before long we had an all-out donnybrook on our hands. Several people were injured in the ensuing brawl (my lawyer differs with my insurance company with regard to exactly how many).

I spoke with this gentleman again, several hours later in our holding cell. After apologizing profusely to each other for our immature and destructive behavior, I asked him to give me a more detailed critique of my speech. He told me he couldn’t remember much of what I’d actually said, but that his mind had wandered during the speech — not just to the earthquake, but also to a monthly meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals in his home town.

This meeting had centered on plans of the town government to add a new wing to the local junior high school. The town appealed the former zoning decision to delay completion of the new basketball court until after the start of the next school year. Someone brought up that the local mayor was a major stockholder in the contracting firm in charge of the renovations, and an ugly scene ensued, with lots of finger-pointing and accusations.

And then a strange thing happened: the mayor brilliantly defused the situation by sending out for perogis.

The history of this Russian delicacy is fascinating. Reputedly invented for Genghis Khan in the eleventh century, it was no time at all before the perogi became popular throughout Europe. Local recipes differ on the best method of preparation — but of course that’s to be expected. After all, every culture has a right to its own peculiar cuisine, each with its own particularities. If more people were willing to accept this kind of thing, we’d live in a safer, more peaceful world.

I guess that’s what life is all about, right? Trying to be safe and peaceful. That reminds me of a song by some 1960’s music act. It came out on the radio while I was out on the links, practicing for the 1964 Vildemar Open golf tournament, in which I took fifth place (and won $20,000.)

And remember, twenty grand bought a lot more then than it does now.

Oh yeah, the book. So, since money doesn’t buy as much as it used to, this is a tough economy — so you’ll all be better off if you communicate well, right? So buy the book. You’ll be better off, everyone’ll be happy and I’ll be a little richer.

GETTING PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT

The art of manipulating people. Controlling their every move. What power! What fun!

This book unleashes the untapped, irresistible forces of persuasion hidden deep within your psyche. Have you ever noticed how skillful little kids are at getting their way? We’re all natural persuaders at that age, but most of us lose some of that precious skill through neglect as we mature into adults. Let Rugby Doobie help you get back your native talent, with GETTING PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT.

“I was reading the book on a 20-hour nonstop flight from Istanbul to Honululu. The pilot said we’d be landing in Dnepropetrovsk due to heavy fog. Imagine my chargrin! A delay of only a few hours was sure to make me miss the Opening Ceremonies of the Honululu Perogi Festival. 

So I strolled up to the cockpit and explained my dilemma, using the techniques outlined in Doobie’s book. In five minutes flat, I had the pilot raring to go! He practically jumped onto the intercom and informed the passengers that we’d be pushing through all the bad weather to get me to Honululu on time. It was full speed ahead, and the fuel level be damned!” 

— Anonymous fan of the book