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Win the Crowd
Unlock the Secrets of Influence, Charisma, and Showmanship
By Steve Cohen HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2005 Steve Cohen
All right reserved. ISBN: 0060742046
Chapter One
The Maxims of Magic
The art of magic has been around for thousands of years. Archaeologists have even found hieroglyphics depicting magicians performing sleight-of-hand tricks. Interestingly enough, those same tricks still baffle audiences today. We must be doing something right.
Think back to the first magic trick you ever saw. Maybe your cousin showed you a card trick at a family barbeque. Or you might've seen a magician pull a rabbit out of an empty basket. Or perhaps you saw a TV magician levitate a woman in midair. Can you remember your sense of wonder?
These tricks worked because the magicians followed a set of rules. Fortunately, anyone can learn and apply these rules to influence others. I use them not only onstage but offstage as well -- with my family, friends, and business associates and in my community.
I call these rules the Maxims of Magic. Magicians follow them to convey confidence during their performances. Once you make the decision to do the same -- to think like a magician -- you will feel more confident yourself. People will sense your new positive attitude and respond by wanting to be around you and follow your lead.
Here, then, are the Maxims of Magic.
The Maxims of Magic
- Be Bold
Take risks -- don't be shy about the actions you take or the words you speak.
- Expect Success
Start every personal encounter with the expectation that it will succeed.
- Don't State -- Suggest
Use the power of suggestion instead of flat-out statements.
- Practice, Practice, Practice
Work hard privately so that you appear effortless in public.
- Be Prepared
Stay several steps ahead of your audience at all times.
Let's examine each of these rules in detail so that you can get started using them right away. Before you know it, you'll be casting your own spell over people whom you interact with on a daily basis.
MAXIM 1: BE BOLD
One of the things that separates beginning and experienced magicians is guilt. An important part of magic requires the performer to hide an object in his hand while keeping a perfectly straight face. This is tougher than it seems. It takes nerve. If you don't believe me, try it now. Clip a coin between your fingers so that no one can see it from the front. Now keep it there for the rest of the day, doing all of the things that you normally do. Eat meals, have meetings, speak to your family. Don't grip the coin so tightly that your fingers turn purple! Be natural. By the end of the day, you'll understand how hard it is to pretend that nothing's there.
Beginning magicians feel guilty that they are hiding something and unconsciously give off telltale signs. Audiences may not know exactly what the magician is hiding, or how he's hiding it. But they know he's hiding something. His guilt betrays him in the form of awkward gestures. The beginner may keep his arm frozen in place instead of letting it swing naturally. Or he might glance in the direction of the hidden object. This attitude spoils the illusion of magic, and audiences walk away with a big, fat question mark.
Experienced magicians are able to keep secrets from audiences without feeling guilty. We've learned how to act naturally, even when people are staring. I learned this early on when I was a child. I remember swiping a cookie from the cookie jar. I heard my parents approaching and had to make a quick decision. Should I fold my arms and hide the cookie so that my parents can't see it, or should I swing my arms naturally with the cookie in full view? I decided to hide it in full view. I took a deep breath, relaxed, and acted as if nothing unusual were occurring. It's counterintuitive to think that you could hide an object in plain sight. But it worked. Nobody expected me to be so bold. Cookie in hand, I walked past my parents, and they had no clue that I was anything but innocent. This simple deception hooked me on magic.
I'm not suggesting that you hide things from people on a regular basis. That's not the point. I'm suggesting that you learn to stretch your comfort zone. It's not easy to act natural when you're the center of attention. It takes guts. The first step at making this maxim part of your life is to stop being afraid of other people and what they think of you.
When you're bold, you will get results that you've never had before, because you're doing things that you've never done before.
When I read the previous sentence to a friend of mine, a successful businesswoman, she said, "That is so true!" She lives by the following aphorism: "Don't ask first; just apologize later." Instead of running a new idea by her boss, she just goes ahead and tries it out. According to her, too many "managers" are entrenched in their ways of doing things and are likely to say no to something new. She just plows ahead and does it on her own.
This is boldness in a nutshell. If your new plan doesn't work, you can always apologize later for running with it. If it does work, though, you're a hero. Are you willing to take risks like that? If you are, then you're on your way to understanding boldness.
Risky Behavior at the Bank
Magicians know that the rewards can be so much larger when you challenge yourself to take risks. Legendary Las Vegas magician Jimmy Grippo proved this one evening when he was in a bank. At 6:00 pm, Grippo noticed that the vault door was being closed for the night. Thinking fast, he removed a playing card from his pocket and scaled it into the vault as the door was being sealed shut for the evening. His aim was perfect, and the card slid inside, unnoticed by the guard.
Continues...
Excerpted from Win the Crowd by Steve Cohen Copyright © 2005 by Steve Cohen. Excerpted by permission.
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