Don’t Be a Useless Fruitcake of Knowledge

Have you noticed that some things are supposed to be true, they’re just not very believable? Remember the old television show Bonanza? It was the story of a 50-year-old dad and his three 48-year-old sons. Some things are just a lot more believable than others, true or not. If someone believes something strongly they look for reasons to prove it is true. It is the foundation of prejudice. Make sure before you start to explain your great idea, that you understand the beliefs and values of the person you are talking to. Knowing what someone believes is the key to being consistently influential. Finding out what people value and why they value something allows you to wrap your great idea in their beliefs, thus making it a valuable gift they want instead of a useless fruitcake of knowledge.