Use the Synergy of a List

Published: Nov 26, 2004

Application

Mentioning one event is not as powerful as mentioning two or more similar events.

Armed with a list of complaints you can select one item. Your protagonist will likely explain away that event as an isolated incident. This allows you to say, "Fine. How do you explain why [a similar event] happened again on [date, time, person, etc.]" Continue likewise down your list.

Select your items for their maximum accumulative effect.

Your list allows you to recap each individually or in groups. For instance, to enforce your point that a problem is systemic you repeat incidents perpetrated by different individuals or departments.

Memorizing your list will allow you to recall incidents from these memory tags. Your opponent will not see a written list nor will he or she be able to see how long or short your list is.

Stories

Take Care of My List First

A senior officer visited my office as a result of my many complaints about a contracted service from his company. We worked from my list, which would have been embarrassing to any responsible executive.

When we finished describing the incidents on MY list, the Vice-President asked if he could explain (away) the items. I responded with something like, "No. I don't want to hear how these things happened. You fix these problems. Then, we can have another meeting on resolving our differences." Please don't ask me where that instant flash of brilliance originated. It appeared to be the icing on the cake. Problems got fixed and there was no second meeting.

By the way, I was outnumbered by his team. [Refer to: Outnumber the Other Party] That disadvantage was offset by THE LIST. There was no need to call my team in from adjoining offices.

Submitted by: Nephew Gerry

Outcomes

Related Topics

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