Last updated on November 21st, 2019 at 04:58 pm
As I work on my big dream of creating a top website, I’ve been working through the book, Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by New York Times bestselling author, National Speakers Association Hall of Fame speaker, and chief executive officer, Sally Hogshead.
I wrote about the basics of the Fascinate book in an 8WomenDream article titled, Are You Being Fascinating Enough? How to be Fascinating.
I examined the online presence of the 8WomenDream website. I researched what makes specific YouTube video creations popular, such as, Why It’s Hard Out There For A Lefty with over five million views or Maru, the cat, whose videos have been viewed over 325 million times and holds a Guinness World Record for video views of an animal.
To be successful online or with any venture where you want the public’s attention, you’ve got to step away from your creation to view your work from another angle. You must be open to feedback (constructive criticism) and accept that you may need to change.
With the purchase of Sally’s book comes a short fascination trigger test as a way to view what yourself from another angle. Sally describes The Fascinate® Test as “the first personality test to show you how the world sees you, rather than how you see the world.” Seeing how the world views you is important for getting the help you need to make your big dream come true. I decided to take the “The Fascinate® Test,” and what I discovered blew my mind. You learn what your fascination triggers are.
What’s a Fascination Trigger?
What does it take to be fascinating? It starts with gaining an understanding of how you blend two of the seven personality triggers in a way that sparks the intense interest of those around you.
Sally developed the 7 Personality Triggers based on over five years of proprietary research on fascination, including the first-ever marketing research study specifically about how people and brands become more fascinating, which was conducted by Kelton Research. Kelton Research is a global public opinion company, leading research with more than thirty of the Fortune 100 corporations, including McDonald’s, Target, and Pepsi. Twice it has been named “fastest-growing market research consultancy” by Inc. magazine.
Knowing your triggers reveals your unique strengths.”- Sally Hogshead
The results of my trigger test are behind an Intranet wall, so I am not able to share the video about me, my trigger, and the test results with you. I decided to transcribe what the video said below, and I invite those of you who know me personally to tell me if she isn’t dead on.
My Top 3 Fascinate Triggers
1. Passion
2. Mystique
3. Prestige
And to tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure about this result until I played the video.
From the Fascination Trigger video:
You are “The Intrigue.”
The Intrigue means that you connect with people, but you always keep your distance. You know how much of yourself to show and how much to hold back.
Your primary trigger is passion.
Passion Trigger means that you are warm, and you connect with others. But your secondary trigger is mystique. And the mystique trigger means you work independently, that you think intellectually, and you can balance out the warmth and emotion of passion, with a more rational approach.
As The Intrigue, you have a nuanced approach to communication. You’re perceptive. You’re able to see what other people are thinking. You are selective in which parts of yourself you show and which parts you want to hold back.
The closest archetype to you is the “subtle touch.”
Here’s what the people around you need to know and where you are going to add the most value: you are sensitive and intuitive to the people around you. You have a warm approach initially, but you also have a strong core. You can access both sides of yourself, depending on the situation.
In certain situations, you’re going to reach out and bond quickly, and in other situations, you’re going to hold back. There are going to be certain times in your career when you will want to emphasize the passion trigger, especially when you are first meeting someone or when you are first communicating a particular point in a meeting.
Make sure that you use your emotions to sell through your ideas so that other people can become engaged with them. If you use your mystique trigger too much, people might think that you are disinterested.
This is your gift. This is your strength — that you have these two sides of your personality — the ability to reach out and the ability to know when to hold back. And this is how you fascinate.
The pdf report that accompanies the results go deeper into your trigger:
How I add value:
• You captivate others with your vibrant and attractive style of communication.
• Your approachable and transparent style makes you an “open book.”
• You intuitively understand the ideas and feelings of others.
Examples of leaders who use passion:
Jim Carrey, Oprah Winfrey, George Lucas, Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Wolfgang Puck, JK Rowling
How to apply passion at my work:
PASSION is one of the most immediately fascinating triggers. With PASSION as your primary trigger, you capture widespread attention through colorful words, ideas, and actions.
You’re naturally curious, and become utterly captivated by specific ideas or topics. Yet, you don’t always let your excitement show. If someone or something inspires you, don’t be afraid to share this excitement— it’s part of what makes your personality fascinating. Your curiosity makes
others curious, too.
Then your passion dies, and so does your big dream. And you can’t let that happen.
Catherine Hughes
Catherine Hughes is an accomplished magazine columnist, content creator, and published writer with a background as an award-winning mom blogger. She partners with companies to create captivating web content and social media stories and writes compelling human interest pieces for both small and large print publications. Her writing, which celebrates the resilience and achievements of Northern California’s residents, is featured in several magazines. Beyond her professional life, Catherine is passionate about motherhood, her son, close friendships, rugby, and her love for animals.
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