JUNE 12TH, 2011 @ 1:26 PM BY: MARC If you give them a chance, people will try to manipulate you. It’s a sad fact of life. And since knowledge is the best defense, here are twelve techniques they will likely try to use to pull a quick one on you. 1. Targeting your lack of time and attention. Someone purposely convinces you to commit to something at just the right time, when you would have otherwise said “no.” This commonly occurs when you’re in a hurry or mentally fatigued. Example: At 5PM on a Friday, as you’re walking out of the office, your co-worker asks you if you mind handling X, Y and Z for him next week while he’s on vacation. “Sure,” you say quickly. “Shoot me an email with the details.” On Monday morning you learn that X, Y and Z are fairly substantial tasks that you wish you hadn’t committed to. 2. Misrepresenting facts based on popular beliefs. When someone claims something is a proven fact simply because it’s a popular ...