Читать книгу The Rules of the Game - Neil Strauss - Страница 18

DAY

MISSION 1: Adopt the Caveman Hygiene Method

This next mission may make you a little uncomfortable. And that’s a good thing. The reason will be made clear tomorrow. But for now:

Do not shower today.

Do not shave today.

Chances are, no one will notice—most people are too busy worrying about how they look. If they do, tell them you’re trying to win a bet or participating in a highly compensated study for the deodorant industry.

MISSION 2: Speak with Confidence

When I was learning the game, I had trouble meeting new people because I talked too fast, too softly, and swallowed my words. In a loud club, it made meeting women practically impossible. So I went to a vocal coach named Arthur Joseph.

“Your voice is your identity,” he teaches. “It can tell people everything about who you are, how you feel about yourself, and what you believe in.”

So today we’re going to work on your voice.

There are five common speech mistakes people make. These errors are outlined, along with an exercise for each, in your Day 3 Briefing.

Your task is to read the article and do at least three of the exercises, even if you don’t think you need to. You may be surprised.

MISSION 3: Find Mr. Moviefone

For today’s field mission, stay home. You’re going to use only your voice.

Your task is to dial a local number randomly on your telephone. When someone answers, try to get him or her to recommend a good movie. That’s all.

The point isn’t just to talk to more strangers. It’s to learn how to change the course of an interaction without making the other person feel uncomfortable.

This skill will help you take control of conversations in real life and direct them toward the outcome you want.

A few hints:

Rather than just dialing random strings of seven-digit numbers, look through a residential telephone book and select numbers at random. Or use the first three digits in your own number and make up the last four digits.

Here’s a sample script I used when doing the Challenge myself:

“Hi, is Katie there? No? Well, maybe I can quickly ask you this instead.” Don’t pause here and give the person an opportunity to say no. “I want to see a movie tonight. And I was wondering, have you seen any good movies lately that you’d recommend?”

Here’s another script that worked:

“Hello? Is this Moviefone? No? Well, would you mind quickly recommending a movie to watch tonight? Have you seen anything good lately?”

If the person you’re speaking to hesitates or asks if this is a joke, reassure him or her by saying that you’re serious. One magic word you can use is because. Providing a reason, no matter how illogical (such as “No, I’m serious, because I’m in a rush”), psychologically influences people to accept an unexpected behavior.

Once you’ve received a movie recommendation from three separate people, consider today’s mission successfully completed.

MISSION 4: Hypno Time (Optional)

Listen to yesterday’s charismatic mind-shaping exercise again. Understand and begin to integrate your new attributes and self-image.