How To Be A Better Writer: 6 Tips From Harvard’s Steven Pinker
want 2B a better writer? Good writing is often looked at as an art and, frankly, that can be intimidating. No need to worry. There are rules -- even science -- behind writing well. Our brain works a particular way; so what rules do we need to know to write the way the brain best understands? To find out the answer I gave Steven Pinker a call. Steven is a cognitive scientist and linguist at Harvard. He's also on the Usage Panel…
10 minutes
How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert
eeting new people can be awkward. What should you say? How can you make a good impression? How do you keep a conversation going? Research shows relationships are vital to happiness and networking is the key to getting jobs and building a fulfilling career. But what's the best way to…
10 minutes
Seduction, Power and Mastery: 3 Lessons From History’s Greatest Minds
at can we learn about human nature and the way the world works from reading history? This has been the territory of Robert Greene. He is the New York Times bestselling author of 48 Laws Of Power, The Art of Seduction, and Mastery, among other books. Combining the lessons of thousands of years, what do you learn about the fundamental subjects of seduction, power and mastery? I called Robert to find out. Seduction What's at the root of seduction? Surprise. Robert…
6 minutes
How To Be Cool: 5 Research-Backed Tips
o Hasn't Wanted To Be Cool? We've all wanted to be cool. But research shows that it's not merely a shallow desire. Cool makes a difference in life. For instance, charismatic leaders bring out people's best. Via The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism: If you’re a leader, or aspire to be one, charisma matters. It gives you a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the very best talent. It makes people want to…
5 minutes
Sun Tzu’s Art of War: How Ancient Strategy Can Lead To Modern Success
eryone reveres The Art of War. 1500 years old, this ancient Chinese text is still utilized by both militaries and business schools around the world. And it should be -- research shows these unconventional tactics work. When Davids don't fight by Goliaths' rules they win 63% of battles. Via David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants: When the political scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft did the calculation a few years ago, what he came up with was 71.5…
6 minutes
How You Can Turn A Performance Review Into A Great Learning Experience
thing can improve your performance like solid feedback can. However, none of us likes being criticized, judged, or told what to do. And our first instinct is usually to ignore feedback or even do the opposite. I never said life was simple, folks. Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code, and Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You, both consider feedback essential to peak performance. Merely being the kind of person who seeks out feedback is linked to…
5 minutes
Interesting People: 7 Things They All Have In Common
ve posted a lot of research from experts on getting people to like you, being influential and having great conversations. What's the best way to use all this information to be more interesting? 1) First, Don't Be Boring Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. Look at it like the Hippocratic Oath of conversations: Do no harm. We're all terrible at realizing when we bore others because, well, we all think we're just fascinating. The #1 tip for never boring…
4 minutes
5 Expert Ways To Deal With Difficult People — And Make Them Love You
ve posted a great deal on working with difficult people and how to make people like you. What new research and expert advice can we use to better deal with difficult people? The Feedback Sandwich Doesn't Work -- This Does Nobody likes delivering bad news. Stanford's Jeffrey Pfeffer recommends having someone else do it whenever possible. But what about when it's unavoidable? Don't do the old "feedback sandwich" of positive comment, negative comment, positive comment. Research shows it's better to be…
5 minutes
