Narcissists and psychopaths can be very charming and persuasive and there is no shortage of these types of undesirables in the world.
You’re likely to encounter such jerks regularly in business or your personal life and you need a concrete plan of action to limit your risk.
One of the easiest things you can do is limit your communication to e-mail and text. Avoid in-person negotiations as much as possible.
University of British Columbia’s Michael Woodworth, professor of psychology, says, “We can also conclude that it is very likely that the qualities that allow these people to successfully charm, manipulate, intimidate or exploit others appear to require a live, in-person audience.”
Also, “…the ability to smoke out narcissists and psychopaths becomes easier…” once you “…remove non-verbal cues such as body language from the equation.”
Those other tricks of the trade that exploiters use, such as indistinct put-downs or backhanded compliments, manipulative undercurrents, or invisible poison darts are a lot more difficult to do through e-mail and text. Plus, the scoundrels realize e-mails and texts offer digital proof of their game.
Aside from the tip above about using e-mail and text, there are other ways to identify narcissists. You can limit your risk by learning to deal with undesirables. The difference between reasonable people and jerks is measurable.
Copyright © 2016 Scott Petullo