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convince them in 90 seconds or less
you?” Dianne looked like she was ready for this lunch
to be over.
“Look, everybody tells me you’re the best there is at
making this sort of presentation. I just thought that I could
get some of your secrets . . .” Lucinda’s voice trailed off as
she saw the look on Dianne’s face.
“Oh, really?” Dianne looked at her watch. “You want
me to tell you how I do things and what I’ve learned so
maybe you can take over my job one day?”
Lucinda thought that one over for a moment. When
she saw Dianne glance at her watch a second time, she
EXERCISE
The Hunt for Common Ground
For one morning, practice finding common ground with
strangers or people you hardly know. Try to find it in less
than sixty seconds. Throughout the afternoon, do it in
less than thirty seconds.
Ask questions that send a person straight into his or
her imagination. These don’t have to be odd or unusual.
They simply can’t be closed-ended, like “Have you been
here before?” Rather, ask “What do you think about
this convention space?” We call them trance questions
because for a split second people glaze over as they go
looking for the answer. A funny thing happens to many
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