Out of the darkness came light: How manipulation became w88 online sports betting TEDx idea worth spreading

TED and TEDx talks have always been fueled by the power of short stories and ideas worth spreading. Although w88 online sports betting research on the Dark Triad of personality has consistently attracted media attention, I was not sure it would make a great TEDx talk. To be sure, Dark Triad research has surprisingly broad relevance, and resonates with those who have encountered these types of people. However, the Dark Triad concept was created by w88 online sports betting mentor Del Paulhus and his student Kevin Williams in 2002 and is a line of research championed by many besides myself. Given that the concept was more than 20 years old and widely studied, I was not sure it alone constituted an “idea worth spreading.”

I think a lot about the University students with whom I interact. Every semester in w88 online sports betting management courses I spend one day on the Dark Triad. Without fail, every semester, students approach me and tell me things like: “Dr. Jones, I have this narcissistic boss” or “I have this coworker I think is psychopathic,” … and they would ask me, “What do I do?” Until recently, I had virtually no advice. Obvious guidance such as “leave the job” or “go to HR” “w88 online sports betting with these people” and “avoid them” were things that they had often tried with no luck. I realized that I needed, we needed, to do better. We do not need 20 more years of knowing that these types of traits lead to harming others, we need 20 new years of knowing how to help people deal with them. Thus, w88 online sports betting idea worth spreading was born. With w88 online sports betting fabulous colleagues Alexis Hanna and Peter Hom (Arizona State), we began looking at who does best under abusive supervision, and Machiavellianism most consistently predicted that.

I still remember the moment I realized that it may be possible to harness Machiavellian thinking to fight the good fight. It was New Year’s Eve 2019. I sat down with Christie & Geis’s original 1970 book “Studies on Machiavellianism” and went through the chapters looking for non-toxic behaviors that might lead to resilience when being abused. Initially, I highlighted six key elements and then distilled them down to three, which ultimately led to the CBR (Cold, Bottom-line, Rational) framework you hear about in the w88 online sports betting.

With this knowledge, I went to Bret Simmons who is a friend, leader and a huge player in the TEDxReno organization. I asked him what he thought, and he provided a tremendous amount of encouragement and guidance. I was in LaGuardia airport when I received the notification that w88 online sports betting TEDx talk was accepted. Overjoyed, I immediately cracked open w88 online sports betting computer, filled out the agreement forms and started writing w88 online sports betting talk. Naturally, the first few drafts look nothing like the final talk. It was the amazing guidance of the TEDxReno team that shaped the talk into what it is, and it would have had less than half the punch it had without them. Along the way, I was blessed to meet the other TEDxReno speakers. These are amazing people with amazing stories and ideas to share. Many friendships emerged from those rehearsals and backstage chats, friendships that I will cherish for years to come.

I rehearsed this talk in every platform possible. w88 online sports betting wife and daughter would follow along in w88 online sports betting script and record me while I stood in a hula hoop on the floor rehearsing w88 online sports betting talk. I rehearsed it at coffee shops, while driving, with friends and family, and even while working out. Trying to remember and speak the words with w88 online sports betting heart rate up was more critical than I realized. I have given hundreds of talks, more than a dozen, to large audiences. Yet, for all w88 online sports betting experience as a speaker, nothing had prepared me for how exciting and terrifying the TEDx day would be. I have never in w88 online sports betting life been so nervous for a talk. w88 online sports betting body physically shook behind the stage, making it difficult to put a microphone on me. There were several times during the talk when the words disappeared from w88 online sports betting mind; just gone. Each time, I found w88 online sports betting loving wife in the audience, took a deep breath and the words reemerged.

When I stepped off the stage, I could only think of the flaws and pauses. Although I heard nothing but support and kindness from the organizers and fellow speakers backstage, I had w88 online sports betting doubts. I had worked so incredibly hard on this talk … did that show? Sometimes it is easier to believe our own internal negativity than the genuine praise of our friends (ironically, a topic of one of the other speakers, Judy Ho). Throughout that night, I simply did not know if the talk had the impact I wanted. For weeks I did not know. Finally, I received the news that not only is w88 online sports betting TEDx talk being released, but the official TED website wanted to advertise it. I had w88 online sports betting answer.

The whole experience was one of true growth. I am blessed for having gone through w88 online sports betting and for the people I met. Ideas worth spreading are truly small gifts that can grow into big change, and I hope you can share yours as well.

Watch "How to recognize a master manipulator" by Dan Jones from TEDxReno on YouTube.

About the author

Daniel N. Jones is an associate professor of management in the College of Business at w88 online sports betting Nevada Reno and a core faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Social Psychology Program. Prior to the University, Jones was an assistant professor of legal psychology at w88 online sports betting Texas, El Paso. He received his BS from Stockton University and his Ph.D. in social/personality psychology from w88 online sports betting British Columbia.