Ever wish you were better at getting people to do what you want? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.
I know this from experience. When I first got involved in the American Society of Journalists and Authors, I quickly learned a few things about freelance writers. They're (mostly) brilliant. They're creative and articulate, accustomed to living literally by their wits. But for the most part, they are not joiners. They're self-motivated, self-directed, and not inclined to go with the flow (or else they'd be working in an office somewhere). They're individualistic, and can be cantankerous. And here I was, trying to get them to follow my lead.
My first initiative was an internal market to match volunteers with volunteer jobs. It didn't go well. The people giving out jobs either didn't want new volunteers or didn't want to put their jobs in my market. They didn't want to hear from me or the volunteers I'd recruited. Despite my best efforts, the project fizzled out. I couldn't figure out how to sway them.
It's been 15 years since then and I'm now president of ASJA which is a job that still in large part consists of asking freelance writers to follow my lead. And sometimes to set aside their strongly held opinions for the good of the organization. I couldn't do it if I hadn't learned a few things over the years about how to get people on my side:
1. Spend lots of time listening.
Even if you already know what people are going to say, and even if there's no way you can do what they want, start by listening. Being listened to is one of the things they want-that's true of just about everyone. That was one mistake I made on my first project: I had listened to people who wanted to volunteer, but not to those who had volunteer jobs to offer. I assumed they'd be happy to have new volunteers but I was wrong.
2. Ask lots of questions.
Not only because everyone wants to be listened to. Careful questioning will help you determine what people really want, which is often different from what they say they want. It will also tell you what they have to offer.
