Welcome to Power University
thepowermoves.com/courses/power-university/lessons/welcome-to-power-university-3
Hi,
Thank you and congratulations on joining Power University!
And first power move of the course: if the relationship is a mutual exchange, try to avoid
“thank you” as a standalone.
A “thank you” gives away your power and sub-communicates that you are only taking in
the relationship.
Say “congratulations” instead, or “well done”.
“Congratulations” recognizes and compliments their great choice while at the same time
underlining the value you bring to that exchange.
Or, alternatively, use both: “thank you, and congratulations on your choice”.
I personally prefer this option, since customers are also bringing obvious value to the
table, and with this option your underline the win-win nature of the exchange.
If you want to read more on how to appropriately use “thank you”, check this forum
entry.
Now back to us.
I only have two notes for making the most of this course:
Arm Yourself With Open Mind
Sometimes the information in this course does not paint the prettiest picture of human
nature.
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But that’s not a good reason to shy away from reality.
True development must be based on raw, unadulterated reality.
Only by learning people’s -and our own- human nature, including its darkest sides, we can
then shape it, change it, harness it and, eventually, even transcend it.
The 4 Stages of Social Development
Some students said that as they go through Power University, they start over-analyzing
social interactions.
Usually, that’s just a phase, and it’s a good thing. It means you start seeing more of the
underlying social and power dynamics.
That’s already a huge step forward. Enjoy the over-analysis phase, because it won’t last
long.
This is how a good progression looks like:
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Your goal is to go from box 1 to box 4 over a period of time.
Phase 1: Low Awareness
You start at box 1 with all the power dynamics you are not yet aware of.
Being unaware of something means you have low consciousness in that area and, often
albeit not always, low consciousness also means low competence (hence low
consciousness and low competence).
Phase 2: Over-Analyzing
As you start going through the lessons you will start becoming more aware of both the
power dynamics. And you will start becoming more aware of your own self-defeating
behavior.
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You have moved to box 2: high in consciousness, but still low in competence. This is the
stage that some people refer to as “over-analyzing”.
Phase 3: Consciously Re-Programming Behavior
The third step is to consciously respond to the power dynamics you see around you, and
consciously choose and control your own behavior.
Phase 4: Naturally High-Power
Finally, once you have consciously analyzed social dynamics, your reading and
understanding of those social dynamics will start becoming second nature.
And once you consciously decided to act in a certain way over a period of time, you will
start internalizing those new behaviors as well.
Both your social reading skills and your behavior will start happening subconsciously.
That’s when you reached box 4. Or, if you prefer, that’s when you have become the most
effective social animal that you can be.
Albeit that’s the final goal, don’t be discouraged if it takes some work.
Mastery in any worthwhile achievement always takes some work.
You are already familiar with this process in whatever you’ve already learned in the past.
You’ve been there when you learned walking and talking a long time ago. And you’ve been
there again and again if you learned to ride a bike, learned to swim, learned to play an
instrument, or learned to do whatever you’re now doing in life.
Learning power dynamics is even easier in my opinion, because you’re learning something
that you naturally get to observe and practice every single day.
Think of master as a work in progress, as your journey of self-empowerment. And boxes 2
and 3 will become part of the fun.
How to Use Quizzes As Enhanced Learning Tool
We learn the most when we are forced to think things over on our own.
And that’s what the quizzes are for: to make you think before checking the answers.
So the way to use quizzes as learning tools is:
1. Read or watch the case study carefully
2. Immerse yourself in the case study: put yourself in the shoes of the
protagonists
3. Think it over: what’s happening, who’s winning, what are best strategies…
4. Pick the best answer(s)
5. Check your answers at the end of the quiz
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6. Have a learner’s mindset: focus not on “doing good” in the quizzes, but on
increasing your social intelligence, your strategic thinking, and your skills. More on
mindsets in “Ultimate Power”
I put a lot of time and thoughts into each question: both the correct ones, and the wrong
ones.
And I’ve done that because these are terrific learning opportunities for you.
So once you have finished a quiz, read the explanation for each answer. To read the
explanation, press the button “View Questions” at the end of each quiz:
Then you get to a screen like this one where you can see exactly why some answers were
wrong or right:
That’s the equivalent of high-intensity training for (advanced) social skills.
Should You Go Through All Modules? I Recommend So…
You might not be interested in dating.
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Or you might be in a happy relationship, or in a happy position at work, and you think you
can skip the respective modules.
Still, I recommend you go through them anyway, even if they don’t apply to your current
situation. Maybe go through them a bit more quickly, but do not completely skip them.
Those domains of life all reveal crucial aspects of people’s psychology, and understanding
the underlying dynamics in each one of them will help you better understand people -and
yourself-.
Should Men Take the Lessons for Women? Short Answer: Yes.
There are some lessons earmarked “for women”.
And I recommend men to also go through them, for the same reason as above.
Three more reasons why you should:
1. Knowing yourself better: Men and women are rarely 100% masculine or 100%
feminine, and understanding the most stereotypically gender-specific traits also helps you
to get to know yourself better.
2. Better social and life strategies: Learning how genders differ allows you to
strategically play up or down your masculine or feminine side, depending on the situation.
3. Better persuasion skills: You will be better able to tailor your persuasion attempts
depending on whether you’re dealing with a man or a woman
Just as a teaser, I can tell you that one of the main reasons some women enjoyed being
around me is because I can lean more on the feminine side when talking, bonding, and
relating.
If you can do that while keeping an overall strong frame, then you can become that ultra-
rare “total package” that sets you aside from everyone else.
And that’s only one of the advantages of being able to embrace the whole spectrum of
human qualities.
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