Whatever the topic, we can all look back on situations in our lives about which we were uncertain at the time...  

... challenges that we didn't know how to face.

... circumstances that we didn't know whether we could overcome.

… possibilities that jeopardized the “status quo” in some way.

And, even with the inevitable failures that all of us will experience along our respectful journeys, we usually emerge from these challenges with renewed confidence, a deeper understanding of our own capabilities, and valuable lessons that we can apply to our future endeavors.

As coaches, we even intentionally tap into our clients' 'history of struggles and successes.'  

How so?

Imagine this -- or, better yet, reflect back on when a client came to you describing a challenging and unfamiliar situation they were facing.  It could be almost anything -- the birth of a child, a new management role, a marathon, a job layoff, choosing to end a...

What are the factors that cause one person to say yes to another person and which techniques are used to bring about such compliance?

Why it is that a request stated in a certain way will be rejected, while a request that asks for the same favor in a slightly different fashion will be successful?

These are questions asked in answered in Robert Cialdini’s book “Influence”. Spend the next ten minutes with us to learn the secrets of the persuaders and if necessary, how to avoid their spell.

Lesson 1: Contrast

Today’s works moves at a fast pace. We need to absorb, process and act on information constantly. When we need to make a decision, we often resort to using shortcuts in the decision making process. One such shortcut is the contrast principle.

The contrast principle affects the way we see the difference between two things that are presented one after another. Simply put, if the second item is fairly different from the first, we will tend to see it as more...