Good discussions are a performance art

I spend quite a bit of time on the phone. I call perfect strangers, introduce myself to them, and the attempt to gain enough rapport that they will listen and engage in a meaningful career discussion with me. It's a cold call. I've made enough failed calls and enough successful ones that I'm kind of good at them. I can typically have more calls go in a positive direction than I can in a not-positive direction.
Early On
At first I thought it was mostly luck (or lucky timing) that was the primary factor determining whether or not a call would go well. I ran with this notion for quite a while. My odds came out at the fifty-fifty mark. Eventually I gained more confidence (as it was a little lean in the beginning) and I got a little better odds.
Break-through one
As written in an earlier post, I discovered that there are narrative patterns that can be used to project information in a way that is very harmonious with a listener's existing thinking. Tell a good story that is formed a specific way and operates within prescribed boundaries and the people on the receiving end will tune in more deeply and will also resist the desire to return to their pesky TO-DO list.
Break-through two
Linguistic patterns are easily observable and easily employable. Just pay close attention to the predicates that people use. The predicates are indicative to how a person engages the world.
Break-through three - happening at this moment
Discussions are a performance art. George Clooney, for all his political blabber, is astonishing at delivering his lines. Just listen to HOW he says the things he says. His tone, his meter, his pitch and inflection - they all combine to make listening to him seem that much more entertaining. I've gotten in the habit of leaving myself voice mails from time to time so that I can hear how I sound. I'm considereing buying a digital recorder so that I can occasionally record myself and practive at delivery. It's a performance art and practice makes perfect.