Robin Dreeke > Quotes

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910”
― Robin Dreeke, It's Not All About "Me": The Top Ten Techniques for Building Rapport

“Compassion is important, but I believe that we have no moral obligation to encumber our own duties and dreams in order to serve the needs of people whose emotional instability limits their opportunity to be predictable and acceptable.”
― Robin Dreeke, Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agent's User Manual for Behavior Prediction

“Rationality is the brick and mortar that creates a firm foundation of trust. It keeps things real, reflects only honesty, and helps you determine who people actually are, and what they really want. Emotion builds a foundation of sand, ever-shifting as moods change, creating sinkholes of confusion, doubt, and dishonesty.”
― Robin Dreeke, The Code of Trust: An American Counterintelligence Expert's Five Rules to Lead and Succeed

“Genuine, self-critical honesty is a great way to help people respect and admire you. It’s the ultimate in transparency, and when you’re transparent about your own shortcomings or question your own strategies, other people don’t have to—which often results in them making your case for you. It’s scary the first few times you do it, but it works wonders.”
― Robin Dreeke, Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agent's User Manual for Behavior Prediction

“Doveryai no Proveryai: Trust, but verify.”
― Robin Dreeke, Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agent's User Manual for Behavior Prediction

“1.      Establishing artificial time constraints: Allow the person being targeted to feel that there is an end in sight. 2.      Accommodating nonverbals: Ensure that both your body language as well as your voice is non-threatening.           3.      Slower rate of speech: Don’t oversell and talk too fast. You lose credibility quickly and come on too strong and threatening. 4.      Sympathy or assistance theme: Human beings are genetically coded to provide assistance and help. It also appeals to their ego that they may know more than you. 5.      Ego suspension: Most likely the hardest technique but without a doubt the most effective. Don’t build yourself up, build someone else up and you will have strong rapport. 6.      Validate others: Human beings crave being connected and accepted. Validation feeds this need and few give it. Be the great validator and have instant, great rapport. 7.      Ask… How? When? Why? : When you want to dig deep and make a connection, there is no better or safer way than asking these questions. They will tell you what they are willing to talk about. 8.      Connect with quid pro quo: Some people are just more guarded than others. Allow them to feel comfortable by giving a little about you. Don’t overdo it. 9.      Gift giving (reciprocal altruism): Human beings are genetically coded to reciprocate gifts given. Give a gift, either intangible or material, and seek a conversation and rapport in return. 10.  Managing expectations: Avoid both disappointment as well as the look of a bad salesman by ensuring that your methods are focused on benefitting the targeted individual and not you. Ultimately you will win, but your mindset needs to focus on them. You now have the top ten secrets on how to build rapport with anyone in just a few minutes.  There is nothing in these pages that”
― Robin Dreeke, It's Not All About "Me": The Top Ten Techniques for Building Rapport

“Act like who you are. It’s not a dangerous strategy—unless you’re a jerk—and will probably break the ice enough to integrate you more fully into your position.”
― Robin Dreeke, Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agent's User Manual for Behavior Prediction

“It’s easy for bosses to say good-bye to people they don’t really know. Make your termination a hard conversation for a boss to have, and it will be less likely to happen.”
― Robin Dreeke, Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agent's User Manual for Behavior Prediction