Page 24 - May 2015 Catalyst

CHAKISSE NEWTON’S
NEWTON’S LAWS OF INFLUENCE
What maYa angeLou taught me aBout infLuenCe
One of my favorite sayings attributed to Maya Angelou is, “People forget what you say, they forget what you do, but they never forget the way you make them feel.” It’s a profound commentary on human nature that can help make us better inf luencers in every aspect of our lives. Here are a few ways to learn from this principle:
In Influence: Always remember to think from the perspective of the person you want to influence. What are their goals and objec- tives? What is their perspective? Are you of- fering an idea that everyone will perceive as a win-win situation?
In Networking: You’ll build better relation- ships when people know you care. When you’re speaking with someone are you truly listening? Are you giving your undivided at-
tention? Are you asking engaged questions and making them feel like the most impor- tant person in the room?
In Presenting: Connection is critical when you’re presenting to an audience. Are you supplementing your facts with stories and rel- evant anecdotes? Are you taking time to build rapport with the audience before you intro- duce the complexities of your topic?
Are you a fan of the late Maya Angelou? What did you learn from her?
Chakisse neWton
803.753.1311
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24 CityLight.org
May 2015