I wish I could take credit for what you are about to read, but I can’t. It comes from Robert Cialdini’s brilliant book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

If you are ever failing a class and need to break the bad news to Mom and Dad, send them this letter (if you’re a guy, you’re going to have to modify it just a bit):

Dear Mother and Dad:

Sharon

Note: This post comes directly from this site. It’s so funny that I had to repost it here. Enjoy!

__________________________________________________________________

Us Recruiter types get unintended cover letters and resumes all too often. This, however, was an outright attempt to be funny and succeeded. This was a response to an ad posting for a job at a university.  I’ve been told that they were laughing so much they actually contacted him for an interview!

His degree: creative writing. Enjoy this very real cover letter.

Subject: Campus Representative / Financial Aid Counselor

Dear Sir/Madam:

I saw your advertisement looking for a Campus Representative / Financial Aid Counselor and I am very interested in finding out more about the position.

I’m not sure I have the education and the experience required for the job, but I think there are more important qualities to look for in a potential employee.  Coincidentally, I happen to possess these attributes and have taken the liberty of enumerating them for you.

1. People tend to like me.  Why?  I am not really sure.  It could be my cherubic disposition or my devilish good looks.  It’s a puzzle that’s liable to stymie philosophers for centuries to come.
2. I am intelligent.  My mind is like a razor slicing through data with surgical precision.  No, it’s like a sponge soaking up every sight, sound and texture. Actually, I guess it’s more like steel wool, which is very effective in its own right.
3. I am a disciplined worker.   My mother never mentally left the Corp and she felt the need to pass her Marine training on to me and my brothers.  I still have flashbacks.
4. I am honest.  I wet my bed until I was eight years old.  See?  Honesty is even more important than my dignity.
5. I have excellent hygiene.

With nine FAFSA applications behind me and nearly $50,000 in student loans, I would be an excellent financial aid counselor as well.  If you fail to follow that logic, then consider how the federal government pays ex-cocaine addicts to show up at high schools and counsel the students.  If it’s good enough for that great bastion of reason known as Uncle Sam, then I am hoping it is good enough for you.

Well, I hope I have persuaded you into granting me an interview.  If so, I can be reached Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the numbers below.

However, if my impeccable (albeit sparse) resume has failed to lure you into a hiring frenzy, then I suppose I can forgive you.  Either way, you better decide quickly as I am considering several lucrative offers from some of the finest plasma donation centers in the region.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(name has been removed)

“If you live each day like it’s your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

~ Steve Jobs, CEO Apple, 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech.

Have you ever had a conversation about the weather?  Or have you ever started a conversation with, “Have you been here before?”  Well, if you have, I’ve got some advice for you:

STRIKE THESE TIRED, WORN-OUT TOPICS FROM YOUR MENTAL DATABASE –  IMMEDIATELY.

Why?  Because they waste your breath.  They waste your time.  And most importantly, they are boring.  Boring is the death knell to the people you want to meet – the people that can make an impact on your career and your life.  Boring is like a poisonous gas that – once released into a conversation – destroys any chance of building a positive, lasting relationship.

You see, to get someone to find you interesting – interesting enough to want to help you – you must create compelling conversations.  You must be unique.   You must inspire thought.

HOW?

There is one place.  There is one supreme source of compelling content.  Content so fascinating that leaders across the world – from all disciplines and backgrounds – attend just to be a part of the conversation.  That place is called TED.

If you want to create compelling conversations yourself – conversations that can fundamentally alter the direction of your relationships – all you have to do is watch the videos.  Then share the ideas.  Spread the ideas like confetti at a parade.  And witness how easy it is to create successful, lasting relationships.

BONUS: I’ve got a special bonus for you. Here is a database of every TED talk that has ever been recorded.  Watch them.  Understand them.  Then share them with your world.  It’s the world’s best shortcut to becoming interesting. Just click here.

]]> http://blog.theascendancegroup.org/post/the-worlds-best-shortcut-to-becoming-interesting/feed/ 6 http://blog.theascendancegroup.org/post/becoming-the-most-interesting-man/ http://blog.theascendancegroup.org/post/becoming-the-most-interesting-man/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:49:33 +0000 Jonathan Hilley http://blog.theascendancegroup.org/?p=349 In TAG’s Mentorship Program, session #9 is devoted to the topic of “Becoming Interesting“.  Why is “Becoming Interesting” such an important topic that TAG devoted an entire session to it?  Well, to succeed in life you’re going to have to get people to like you.

How do you do that?  How do you get people to stop Twittering, Facebooking, Blogging, and whatever else-ing and get them to pay attention long enough to form an emotional attachment to you?  Then, once you’ve captured their attention, how do you become meaningful to them – so meaningful that they want to help you?  My answer – simple yet complex – will no doubt shock you…

You must become the Most Interesting Man.

WTF does that mean?  Am I telling you to grow a gray beard and walk in the wilderness until you find a trapped bear?  Does this mean you should have an awkward moment, just to see how it feels?  Of course not.  What I am telling you is this:

In order to captivate others – to steal enough time from their increasingly busy lives to make an impact – you must be more compelling than their mile-long list of current distractions: you must become more interesting than anything else that is consuming their time.

How do you do that?  How do you build the most important kind of connection – a vested interest bond – one that creates a deep feeling of respect…one that compels people to help you, in spite of their busy schedules?

The simple answer is: there are 3 strategies that master networkers use to “win” vested interest connections.

The complex answer is: like most important things in life, the devil lies in the details.  How you use these 3 strategies – exactly how you introduce, frame and present them – will mean the difference between making a memorable impact and sinking into the sea of forgetfulness.

So – without further adieu – here are the 3 strategies for winning vested interest connections:

1. You must make someone laugh,
2. You must make someone cry, or
3. You must make someone think

To become truly memorable – to become the Most Interesting Man – you must move someone to a higher level of emotion.  If you are successful at making someone laugh, cry or think, you will win the highest honor: their vested interest.

Note: over the course of the coming months, I will unveil the complex answer – exact strategies for winning vested interest connections.  In the meantime, please watch this.