I am sure many of you are familiar with Dale Carnegie’s best selling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. His book is one of those books that is a must read for business professionals. In this best selling book, Dale Carnegie lists six ways to make people like you. Those six things are:
- Become genuinely interested in other people.
- Smile.
- Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
- Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
- Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
- Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
As much as I love this book, I cannot help but think that Mr. Carnegie is missing a key point. My number one way to win friends and to influence people is to bake for them. If I want to make a good impression on someone or if I want to influence someone to do something for me, I simply bake him or her a treat of some kind and typically, I get what I want. It is very simple, really, and I do not have to do a lot of talking or listening. I simply present them with the baked good item and upon consumption, we are instant friends and they are putty in my hands.
One way that I influence my kids around the house is by baking them what they call “cupcakes” for breakfast. They are really muffins, but if they think they are getting dessert for breakfast, who am I to correct them? My husband is traveling in New York again this week so I knew I was going to need some extra help around the house from my little people. This morning, I decided to make a batch of my mini-banana muffins. My kids love these and beg for them all day long. Every time they asked for one I would say, “After you do ______, you can certainly have another muffin.” They were doing chores like mad around the house today, simply to be rewarded with another mini banana muffin.
So, the next time you need to influence someone, try my suggestion of the 7th step and bake for them. You are certain to win them over in no time at all.
Julianne's Mini Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 bananas peeled and smashed
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and shortening until smooth. Add the applesauce, eggs, bananas and water and mix on medium for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Once combined, slowly add to the banana mixture and mix until incorporated completely. Bake in sprayed mini muffin tins on 350 for approximately 12 minutes (or until toothpick in the center comes out clean).
Excellent idea to make mini muffins for incentive. 🙂 I’ve heard of that book and wanted to read it. It was interesting to read the 6 (well seven 😉 ) steps!
Food always speaks louder than compliments.
Yum….naner muffins!! I would scrub your floor for some of those!
Great strategy! I’m always impressed when people bake, because I seldom do it myself!
Great list to influence people!
Banana muffins looks great too, those would surely make people love you!:D
Kristen I love it! 😀 I wonder how old they will be before they discover that Mom’s cupcakes were actually muffins! 😀 teehehehehehe! You crafty woman you.
And to inspire them to pick up and do chores! Magnificent thinking.
You have inspired me btw, to figure out how to hack my blog and make cosmetic changes and your pink and polka dots inspired me! So in your honor I now have polka dots and a vibrant pink border! Hope you will tell me how you like it and if you think it’s too similar to yours, I will gladly change it! Now can I have a cupcake Mom?! 😀 😉
Agreed! Taking baked goods to work makes you popular, too. Plus, making these MINI muffins means you (and the kids) can have more of them – so more chores get done, right? Moms are SO smart. 😉
Oh my! Those mini-muffins look so cute.
I love your 7th step. I have started doing it recently,and I can attest to the fact that it works!
Makes perfect sense to me! This little ones would easily win little ones over! Cute write up.
Absolutely!!! Cooking for someone is a perfect tool to break the ice!!!! And that’s what I did for my new co-workers.
I think you should write a book!!! Now if only I could get that to work on my husband….
I bought a bag of ready to bake bananas at the store SUnday. I’ve been looking for a banana recipe and this fits the bill! Can’t wait to try them later today…I’ll let you know how they turn out!
My mama taught me a long time ago that a way to a man’s heart is thru his stomach. She’s also lured me home many times with her cooking. So I am totally with you about influencing people with food. I find that I utilise this tactic all the time now 🙂 These mini muffins will definitely do the trick.
I agree with you. Sharing food is the most effective way to win friends. It shows almost all the point listed in the book!
I made a few changes (after watching Dr. Oz on Oprah!) but these muffins are DELICIOUS. So moist and perfectly banana!
I’m totally with you on that one, it’s the reason I bake for coworkers…
I’ve always found cooking for friends to be endearing too, Kristen. And thanks for pointing out to us.
I totally agree with you, and the best friends and conversation are around the kitchen table!
You would win me over with these, alright! 🙂
My post about these is up along with the changes I made! Thanks so much. THese were great…so nice and moist!
So true!! I regularly bake or cook things for people – it often works! 🙂
Your trick of cupcakes for breakfast is darling. My aunt used to tell her son that mini rice cakes were cookies. Later in life she told him and he said "That’s so mean"…
Just the cutest – I can picture your cuties scurrying around doing chores to get more "cupcakes" 🙂
You have a surefire way of influencing people here!
Well, the picture of those muffins sure influenced me! Now I’m craving them!
I didn’t read that one, but I read how to lose friends and alienate people which I found hilarious. They are filming the movie version of it in NYC right now. The muffins sound delish!
I just graduated from this program this summer! I was amazed to find your reference to Dale Carnegie on a foodie site!
Love it!
Hey, for one of those muffins, I’d do a chore for you too. Yummy!
Hugs!
Kat
You couldn’t be more right, although I think cooking for people in general has that effect. Whenever I take the time to make something for coworkers or friends or whoever, I am greatly rewarded for the effort. I think it has something to do with the effort that goes into it – anyone can pay a compliment, but not everyone will slave over a stove for a fresh batch of jam . . .
Hey Kristen, I have read the original book, but I think your strategy would work a little better:)