5 Comments
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Rinaldo's avatar

Thoughtfulness (personalization) isn’t optional, it’s the entry fee for attention in a world where time is limited and everyone’s already stretched thin.

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Carly Valancy's avatar

I keep stumbling on the phrase 'try to seem more sincere.' I get what you’re saying in terms of effectiveness, but I’m curious about the line between seeming sincere and just being sincere. If the goal is to seem more sincere, doesn’t that still carry the scent of entitlement? What’s the difference between learning to communicate actual sincerity and just learning to mimic what sincerity sounds like?

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Wes Kao's avatar

I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that the reader is sincere and well-meaning, but due to poor execution in their communication, can accidentally come across as entitled. If you actually are insincere or entitled, then definitely don’t be that.

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Abel Caballero's avatar

An unpopular belief is: you have to do the work before asking for something. Great points.

Reflecting on #5, if you follow the advice of Chris Voss' 'Never split the difference' book, you actually should reframe the question in a way the answer is 'no' but it's still positive for you. Maybe the example could be something like: "Would it be a ridiculous idea to have you teach a course on this?". What do you think?

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Jason Yoong's avatar

Please teach this in colleges, every student needs to know this skill. If you do it, I'll be a guest speaker :)

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