Try listing down names of your friends, let’s say 10. Then try to remember how you met each one of them. Are some of them connected somehow? Is there one person in the middle of your social circle? What roles do they play in your life?
In Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, he tries to explain the sociological changes we experience every day. One of the three agents of change is The Law of the Few. Here he states, “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular set of social gifts.” There are three groups of people each with their own abilities to communicate, teach, and persuade. Which one are you?
#1 The Connectors
The first group is the connectors. These are the social butterflies of the community. They know a lot of people across different professions, social circles, and cultures. These are usually the people who make introductions at gatherings. They “link us up with the world… People with a special gift for bringing the world together.” Connectors also have no issues with making friends or acquaintances. What makes connectors successful? “Their ability to span many different worlds is a function of something intrinsic to their personality, some combination of curiosity, self-confidence, sociability, and energy.”
#2 The Mavens
Secondly we have the mavens. These people affect social change through sharing information. They don’t necessarily have to be in education, however they enjoy attaining information and help people know about it. “Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know.” They might be the people who deep dive into certain topics or know various facts that may seem “useless” to you.” Social media is also a great tool for mavens because it connects them to even more information.
#3 The Salesmen
Lastly we have the salesmen. They can persuade people using their charm and negotiation skills. Unlike the salespeople who bombard you, they use subtle and oftentimes non-verbal cues. Salesmen don’t necessarily sell products, they can also “sell” ideas and concepts.
Art by Lara Intong
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