medical environment affecting you? These are hot issues with doctors
because everythings changing in health care.
John said Yamika delivered the lines verbatim. She circulated the party
asking the various doctors specialties and inquiring about their affiliations
and relationships with their hospitals. As a result, she was the hit of the
party. Many of Johns colleagues later congratulated him on having found
such a charming and insighful woman.
154
How to Bare Their Hot Button (Elementary Doc-Talk) 155
Getting the Real Grabber
Its not just doctors. Every profession has concerns that are all the buzz
within the industry. The rest of the world, however, knows little about these
fixations. For example, independent booksellers constantly complain that
big superstore chains are taking over the industry. Accountants lie awake
nights worrying about liability insurance for faulty audits. And dentists
grind their teeth over OSHA and EPA regulations. Oh, us writers, too. Were
always bellyaching about magazines not paying us for electronic rights to
our precious words.
Suppose some hapless soul were unlucky enough to find hiself in a
party of writers. Making conversation with these folks (who seldom know
what they think until they see what they say) is no easy task for one who is
accustomed to communicating in the spoken word. However, if before the
party the nonwriter had called just one writer acquaintance and asked about
the burning issues, hed have had hot conversation with the wordsmiths all
ev ning. I call the technique Baring Their Hot Button.
Back to the art show youre about to attend. You cant let Sally hang up
yet. Shes given you the two best opening questions for
Technique #40
Baring Their Hot Button
Before jumping blindly into a bevy of bookbinders or a drove of
dentists, find out what the hot issues are in their fields. Every industry has
burning concerns the outside world knows little about. Ask your informant
to bare the industry buzz. Then, to heat the conversation up, push those
buttons.
artists. But dont let her go until you get the real conversational grabber.
Ask her the hottest issues going on in the art world. She might think a
minute and then say, Well, theres always art prices.
ooja
(Ooja)
#1