If we have an interaction with someone, we’re often looking for something to gain ourselves. This is logical, but it is easy to get stuck this way: others just aren’t interested in something you want. The basic idea is that people want to do things that benefit themselves.

This is a powerful concept, which can be applied to anything: in your talking, in your writing, in all of your plans where you want someone else to do something, think about what the other person wants or could get out of it. This often triggers a radical shift in your message and can have a huge impact.

Change your approach from “what do I want?” to “what do they want?”.