free_LUNCH

Don’t exactly remember where I got the reference for this book but I would like to thank the person/site that mentioned it to me.

Influence: Science and Practice, by Robert B. Cialdiniis a book that opens your eyes. To the world surrounding us and to the compliance tactics smart and cunning people have used to exploit us of our money and joy. No matter who we are, what we want to become, or what we already do, we are constant preys to such people. Think about the TV advertising you just saw, your car salesman, or even the innocent looking boy who came to sell you magazine subscriptions. They are all employing some common tactics that “forces” you to take decisions favorable to them.

Most common uses of these practices are during the course of a negotiation. An intelligent negotiator can employ these mind games to gain an upper hand. You will be astounded when you realize the simplicity of the idea and the enormity of the results it produce. Maybe even you can learn a trick or two to weave into your next negotiation. I also believe that this book will aid you in your relationships – be it as a father, employer, or a friend. The goal should be to reach a conclusion that is favorable to all, not just oneself. Per this book, most of it is psychological!!!

Dr. Cialdini offers great insights into a number of such tactics used. He explains, clearly and lucidly, the fundamentals behind our reactions and backs it up with rich examples and references to research publications. Popular blogger Guy Kawasaki has an interview of Dr. Cialdini on his website. Do check it out.

I would most definitely recommend this book to just about everyone. I am going to buy this book (borrowed from the library this time) and keep in my meaningful-self-help-books shelf.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die is a book by Dan Heath and Chip Heath.

How can your message stick instead of getting forgotten in a few passing moments? How can you communicate your ideas in such a way that they are remembered and complied upon? That is the treatise of this book. It provides a very interesting framework that you can use, called SUCCESs.

Keep the message SIMPLE – focus on the core message, be clear, forthright, and make it compact. Avoid the ‘Curse of Knowledge’

Get audience’s attention by bringing the UNEXPECTED – Obvious things told in an unobvious ways can help get and retain interests of an audience. Sway away from numbers and focus on the message they send out. There is a gap between what we know and what we understand. Fill those gaps.

Help people understand and remember by being CONCRETE – Don’t be abstract. Speak about actual results, actual stories, and actual outcomes.

Be CREDIBLE – Be convincing by providing necessary details, statistics, and information.

Make people care by adding EMOTION – That is when people will respond to your message. Learn about primary motivation factors and use them judiciously.

Tell a STORY – Nothing sticks better than a story. Use them in such a way that people get a way to act your message. Not leave confused with how to do what to do next.

The book itself is full of stories and examples relating to each of these principles. As a book, I will give it an average rating. That is because in my mind the book is a victim of its own principles. Though interesting, it seems long for its topic and too many examples to remember and keep them sticky. It seems the Heath brothers compiled a list of stories, segregated them into buckets, and them wove some text around it. It is definitely a recommended book but I would suggest reading the first 10 pages of each chapter and the last chapter. If the message sticks, fine. But if not, the book has lost its own purpose.

The authors have a website that provides many resources that you may want to use. I personally do not like to register to access resources. So I cannot rate them here.

This book brought back memories of my Professional Communications class by Prof. Brandon Smith and Prof. Daphne Schechter. If you have access to such classes, I would highly recommend taking them.

During my first semester here at Goizueta, I took a class on Statistics taught by Prof. Steve Stuk. Not only did I enjoy the class immensely, my interest in the subject was greatly enhanced. Prof. Stuk showed us numerous real world examples where statistical analysis is used and how it impacts our day to day lives. During the same time, my marketing teacher, Prof. Sundar Bharadwaj, referred me to a book – The Numerati by Stephen Baker – that talks about strides this new science is making in today’s context.

I recently finished reading the book and I have to say, I am greatly impressed. Stephen starts with asking everyone of us as to how much in our opinion do we leave a trail of data ‘explaining’ our tastes and behavior. Our clicks on the humble IE/Firefox/et all are getting captured and monitored by numerous numerati (number crunchers) to understand and gain information about us. He then goes on to mention how marketers are using the same data to provide us with targetted, contextual advertisement to get our business.

Then the author takes us on a journey – as a patient, blogger, lover, and even a terrorist. How the different companies and agencies are tracking information that we unconciously and willfully give to clearly identify us. Clearly many of the applications and systems designed are going to be for our own benefits. But an ethical question is also raised – Do we really want someone to process the information and join the dots to know a private ‘us’?

The digital age is changing the way businesses evaluate the needs of their customers. With the advent of Google and other data rich companies, a completely new discipline that intermixes core skills such as statistical analysis, anthropology, psychology, et cetra is taking birth. What this sector is creating and what impact will it have on our lives is the basic premise of the book. The book is organized very well and provides for an easy read.

A few days back, a close friend of mine suggested writing a book. It was to be titled ‘Good Capitalism:Bad Capitalism’. Reluctantly, I applauded the idea and was gung-ho about expressing my 2 cents. My last few months of glossing over the Wall Street Journal, discussing with my fellow MBA students, and an enthusiastic spirit gave me the confidence that I can discuss and write about Capitalism. When I came back home later that evening, I started going through (in my mind) what I understood about this unique all pervasive concept that is the foundation of the current world economy. My brain froze!

Then there was a program on CNBC – “Meeting of the minds: The Future of Capitalism” that I enjoyed watching. The program featured an impressive array of panelists (go here for details) and the discussion surrounded the current economic misery, and the role of business and government in its bailout. But I was still unclear of the frameworks surrounding capitalism to make an informed assessment of their comments. I could just rely on my common sense and my own knowledge.

Then I picked up this book by James Fulcher – Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) – to brush up my basics. And it delivered.

The book traces the origins of capitalism right from the trading days of East India Company. It discusses the presence of feudalism, its slow transformation into socialism, and finally its metamorphosis into capitalism. Once there, James does a great job of dissecting the facets of capitalism and the various forces that defines its nature – politics, business, labor unions, markets, currency, and others. He does this by comparing three distinct forms of capitalism – Swedish, British, and Japanese. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle start falling together.

In the last chapter, he discusses the various crises that have fallen upon/by capitalism. Per him, crisis is a by-product of this system and cannot be avoided. Thanks to the ever volatile consumer demand, never ending profit increasing, and the human nature in general. Economics 101 – Every person will act in order to maximize his/her profit.

This book is very lucidly written and I would suggest all to give this book a try and keep it in your book shelf, if possible. I cannot say that I am a master of this subject, but it has nevertheless built a foundation for me to develop my knowledge and make informed opinions about the events happening around me.