These 5 Books Will Make You Better at Influencing People
These books can help you become a master influencer (or manipulator)
A few years ago when I was starting my career, I was too naive and too positive about everyone. I never doubted that few people who try to influence me or use me. Being hated or manipulated by people was fictional.
I didn’t realize this until many years later when I started reading books. That’s when I understood how stupid I was. Few books made realize how people, and, in a few cases, companies tried to influence me in their best interest.
Being influenced and influencing is a double-edged sword. You can use it for the good and the bad. If you are an asshole or a narcissist and reading this article, I hope you leave this article right now and open up your Netflix. You don’t need this article.
For everyone else, whether you just started your career or have people working with you, and you want to have a positive influence over people so your life and their life gets easier, you will reap a lot of benefits from reading these books.
After reading these, I didn’t become a master influencer. But, I got better than before. And I definitely became less stupid. Here are the books I recommend.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This is a classic. If you want to learn about people and ethically influence their thoughts, this is the only book you need to read. I know a couple of people who practised these techniques for years and I see them often Influencing people to be their friends in 2–3 meetings while it could take a normal people months to get to the same pace of friendship.
The Art of Dealing with People by Les Giblin
This is a short book that you can read in one hour. This book tells one fundamental truth — everyone has an ego and are self-interested. Talk about their interests and benefits, help their centred ego to be satisfied and boom, you have just influenced them.
PS: This could be one of the chapters in How to Win Friends and Influence People but it’s worth to take this book separately and read.
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Having power doesn’t mean you have a better title in your organization rather it means getting things done by others as you desire irrespective of your title or who you are. You will be a lesser fool after reading this book.
It would help you come out of the trap few people (who knows power) would lay on you to get things done and secondly you may want to use where ever needed. One of the most practical book on influence I came across. (I read the concise version of this book but it still did the job)
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
One of Oren’s portfolio — of pitching and getting a deal was worth $1 Billion. In this book, he dissects the process of pitching into six blocks and gives details on what exactly happens in the listener’s brain while you pitch. This is a perfect recipe for you if you want to get into pitching your startup or you are into sales.
(Note: Oren gives you a counter-intuitive approach which needs a little guts to execute)
Influence by Robert Cialdini
This book is considered as the bible for the psychology of Influence at the fundamental level. The six techniques you will learn in this book will help you in Influencing while you talk to people, do advertising, writing emails and anywhere and everywhere you try to communicate anything. Period.
