Brian Tracy - The Science of Influence: How to Inspire Yourself and Others to Greatness

THE SCIENCE OF INFLUENCE

THE SCIENCE OF INFLUENCE

How to Inspire Yourself and Others to Greatness

BRIAN TRACY

with DAN STRUTZEL

Published 2019 by Gildan Media LLC

aka G&D Media

www.GandDmedia.com

Copyright 2019 by Brian Tracy

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

First Edition: 2019

Front Cover design by David Rheinhardt of Pyrographx

Interior design by Meghan Day Healey of Story Horse, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request

ISBN: 978-1-7225-1011-4 (hardcover)

eISBN: 978-1-7225-2134-9 (ebook)

Manufactured in the United States of America by LSC Communications

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CONTENTS

FOREWORD

The Dynamic Conversations Series

Brian Tracy is one of the worlds foremost authorities on business and personal success. He has given more than 5000 talks and seminars to over five million people and is a business coach to top leaders in major industries worldwide.

Dan Strutzel is a 25-year veteran of the personal development industry, publishing some of the most successful audio programs in history. He has worked up close and personally with most of the top personal development authors and speakers.

Dan was thrilled when Brian agreed to sit down together to discuss his seminar The Science of Influence. Meeting over the course of a long weekend, these thinkers were able to explore this topic deeply and at great length. These in-depth interviews were taped and are presented here. We hope you enjoy and benefit from their discussion.

INTRODUCTION

Dan

One of the most popular skills to develop in the field of human relations is the skill of influence. This is because without developing and refining this skill all other aspects of human relations are ineffective at best and a failure at worst.

If you attempt to communicate your business idea to an investor but lack the skill of influence, your idea will fall flat and fail to generate the venture capital decision that you need.

If you want your children to adopt the moral values that you hold dear but lack the skill of influence, your perspective will pale in comparison to that of the social media and their peer group.

If you want to convince your spouse that she needs to take her health seriously but lack the skill of influence, she may ultimately get the bad news at her doctors office when it is too late.

Or perhaps you are trying to break an addiction to caffeine or endless web surfing. If you lack the skill of influence, youll be unable to convince yourself that delaying your gratification and establishing an empowering new habit is even worth it.

Influence is like the combination on a strong titanium lock. Imagine that the ability to communicate is the spinning of that lock, and the lock itself secures the consciousness of the mind of another human being or yourself. If all you do is communicate through endless talking, inattentive listening, online forms of communication, or strong mandates, its like spinning the numbers on the lock over and over. But if you develop the key skills of influence, its like knowing the exact combination on that lock and gaining access to the full consciousness of another personor of yourself. Thats what youll learn in this book: the skills of influence, the specific numbers to that highly guarded combination that allows you to produce incredible resultsresults like happier personal relationships, more sales, more profitable partnerships, and an increased ability to hold yourself to commitments that are important to you.

How would you like to be the number-one influence in your childs life? How would you like to convince your local community to vote for you as a school board member? How would you like to lead your office in sales results month after month? All of these results can be yours in this cutting-edge book. In this dynamic discussion between Brian and me, youll learn the very best ideas, strategies, and techniques about influence that he has created in over forty years in the self-development industry.

But even more, youll hear some of Brians latest thinking on the topic, presented right here for the very first time. This is the third book in the Dynamic Conversations series with Brian and me, where we discuss some of the most critical topics for succeeding in the world today. And like our previous two books, The Science of Money and The Science of Motivation, this one will show you that there truly is a science to influence, a science that has been tested and proven again and again, not just for years or for decades, but for millennia. Ideas on how to be more influential with others started back in biblical times, continued through the Renaissance period, progressed through the twentieth century with landmark publications like How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and have continued to the present day, with new discoveries in neuroscience, neurolinguistic programming, and more.

While new theories of influence can arise all the time, just as we have new theories for cures for cancer or baldness, the discipline of science and its rules for testing and verifying results will, in short order, move these ideas from the realm of theory to fact. The goal of this program is to bring you many of the verified facts about influence, eliminate the myths and half-formed theories, and leave you with a treasure trove of ideas for becoming more influential in your own life and in the lives of those you care about.

So welcome to The Science of Influence: How to Inspire Yourself and Others to Greatness with self-development expert Brian Tracy. Brian, its great to be with you here again.

Brian

Its wonderful to be with you as well and to be able to share these ideas. Ive invested about 150,000 hours over the last fifty years studying these subjects and others and weaving them together into a complex network of ideas, with one idea influencing another, influencing another, influencing another. Sometimes people have come up to me in my seminars and said that one single insight, combined with what they already knew, although they had never seen it from that point of view, totally transformed the way they saw themselves, their life, their relationship, their family, their business partnership, their customer, their money. It was a fireworks display going off within their brain.

Dan

Excellent. And hopefully many people who read this book are going to have that same experiencehaving the fireworks go off in their brain, and also in the brains of other people that theyre trying to lead.

ONE

Whats So Special about Influence?

Dan

So, lets start, Brian, with the question, whats so special about influence? Why is this specific skill so popular? Is influence simply about controlling others to get what you want, or is it about something more positive and important? What insights do you have on the topic that run contrary to the popular wisdom from most self-development authors? Id like to begin by asking you, what is your definition of influence?