Recently I had the pleasure of presenting at West Virginia University's Integrated Marketing Communications Program Weekend. The IMC programat WVU has taken a leadership position in the journalism and marketing world with its unique online-only format and focus on a new approach marketing: viewing the whole marketing picture, not just the parts. Students in the program learn to see things they way the consumer sees them - as a constant flow of information from indistinguishable sources.
So what do you say to a roomful of professors, administrators, students and prospective students that they haven't heard before that will inform and inspire?
Well, you go back to 1936.
That's the year Dale Carnegie published his historic guide to social success, How to Win Friends and Influence People. In a world where the marketing and media megaphone has been replaced by collaborative conversations, Carnegie's advice seems more relevant than ever.
Here are a few of Carnegie's laws for success:
- Become genuinely interested in other people.
- Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
- Talk in terms of the other person's interest.
- Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.
- Show respect for other people's opinions.
- If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
- Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
- Throw down a challenge.
Think you could generate a few Twitter followers and Facebook friends with that advice? My wife probably exhibits these skills more naturally than anyone else I know. People are drawn to her because, well, she makes them feel valued and really does listen intently to them. She probes them with questions, getting them to open up about things that they would never share with others. (She's declined my suggestion to get her own talk show.)
Here is a view of the rest of the presentation. What do you think about Carnegie's advice and its relevance for today's social media world? (That's me being genuinely interested in other people.)
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