The Art of Influence with Jon Levy

Today we sit down with the one and only, Jon Levy, behavioral scientist and author of “You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence”. In this episode, we discuss the SOAR Model, how to engage influential people and the three different types of networker. Jon shares the results of years of research from his various different studies of human behaviour… he touches upon the results of a study of 431 matches from the dating app Hinge, why you are 45% more likely to be obese if you have an obese friend and why the shortcut to changing your behaviour is to simply get around those with the behaviour your strive for. Check out the full episode to learn more about how you… can have more influence over influential people. Who is this episode for? People that want more influence 3 key takeaways: 1. Model for creating a sense of belonging and community: Generosity - give without expectation of return Novelty - unique & make sure you enjoy the activity Curation - diverse, unique backgrounds with zero competition - humbling - sense of accomplishment “Aha” moment - breakthrough moment to change opinion or experience 2. Steps to transitioning from novelty to belonging Discovery - people hear about you (Novelty gets people in the door) Engagement - people show up and interact Membership - gives feeling of belonging and creates true community 3. What makes for an effective invitation and experience: The Ikea Effect - People want to assemble it, earn it themselves, or feel like they’re adding value. Information Gap - this gap between your knowledge and what you're being presented with sparks curiosity and intrigue into attending the event/experience. Provide connection and a sense of influence Notable Quotes: “So initially it wasn't even about becoming more influential. That was kind of an end result. For me, it was just about like, how do I get out of debt? How do I lose weight? How do I like meet somebody? I really like, and hold on to that relationship rather than break up after a few weeks. And I figured that the answer was with people... not with just another self-help book title, or I don't know, another personal development course.” “Let's look at Davos, right? Davos is that event where world leaders come together, there is nothing novel about that experience. It is the same old same design, same old experiences, but when you're standing in the snow with Bill Gates and Angela Merkel, that curation is good enough, right?” Rapid fire question answers: 1. What’s your favorite book to recommend to others? The Little Prince 2. Who’s an up and coming community builder you think is going to do big things? Tina Roth Eisenberg 3. What’s your wildest community story? Guessing what people do and she asked if she was a lifesaver - that ended up being the women who saved her life when she was dying of cancer - her song came in the radio and brought her back 4. What’s your go-to community engagement starter? A catalyst question. Ex: ‘If you could break any Guinness book of world record, which would it be?’ OR ‘When was the last time you acknowledged yourself for being proud of yourself, like you actually said, or thought, ‘I'm really proud of myself’ and what was it for?’ 5. Who is someone or a few people that you'd like to invite to one of your dinners that you haven't reached yet? Peter Cullen, the voice of optimus prime from transformers; Michelle Obama; Oprah; or Richard Branson. 6. What’s a community building technology or app that more people should be using? recommendations are one use a news feature - set follow-ups with people that you like for three months later to send them a note that you’re thinking of them and you’re a big fan. 7. Weirdest community you’ve been a part of? Cutco Cutlery - schedule appointments with people to sell them knives. 8. If you’re on your death bed and you could only leave one piece of life advice behind for all the future generations, what would that advice be? The greatest predictor of anything we care about is who we’re connected to, how much they trust us, and the sense of belonging that we share.