Those of you that follow me know I’m a big James Altucher fan and that every Thursday at 3:30pm EST, he hosts a Twitter Q&A where anyone can Tweet him a question and he will answer as many as he can. And I love to participate.
If you don’t know James Altucher, he is a best-selling author and entrepreneur who has started more than 20 companies (some of which he sold for lots of cash) and who has written 17 books, the most recent is The Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth* which I am currently reading and really enjoying. He writes a blog and has a podcast. He has done a little bit of everything.
His outlook on life and business is so fascinating to me.
I have been focusing on how you can engage others and play up your value in conversations, to your boss and coworkers, and others to help accelerate your success. People need to know how fabulous you are to promote you, either literally up the ladder or figuratively to others.
During Thursday’s Twitter Q&A, I asked James what you should say about yourself to get others engaged and wanting to know more about you when you introduce yourself.
His response: Don’t talk about yourself, ask about them.
@flipsidethinker i ask about them instead of talk about me
— James Altucher (@jaltucher) April 9, 2015
I’ve heard this before, especially for introverts or people who don’t feel comfortable talking. Just ask about the other person and let them do all the talking.
I wondered what would happen if both people in the conversation tried that tactic though. So I asked James.
I laughed at his answer because it feels funny to say, but he has a great point. Talk about it with them and say “I too curious, you have to tell me.” I love it.
@flipsidethinker talk abt that with them. Say, "but i'm too curious. You have to tell me."
— James Altucher (@jaltucher) April 9, 2015
It is also an interesting take on engaging with others compared to my most recent post on developing your 90 second personal pitch, which is all about talking about yourself. It would have been nice if he had said something that aligned great with what I had written.
But I think his advice can be used along with an amazing personal 90 second pitch. When someone asks “What do you do?” give them your 90 second pitch, then ask about them. Engage them when your awesomeness then show them that you really care more about them than you do about you. Bam.
What do you think? How do you engage others? Do you ask about them? Let me know in the comments, I’d love your stories and suggestions.