“Temperament, whether individual or collective, is not amenable to persuasion,” Joseph Conrad wrote in his reflection on writing and the role of the artist. And yet it seems to be through our temperaments, not our rational deliberation, that we absorb so many of our impressions. But how can we shape our own impressions upon the temperaments of others — how can we master the art of persuasion?

Author Dan Pink has previously explored the psychology of what actually motivates us. In this RSA short based on his book To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (public library), which also looked at the benefits of being an “ambivert” and “problem-finder,” Pink explains how three fundamental human qualities — attunement (the ability to take another’s point of view), buoyancy (remaining resilient in the face of rejection), and clarity (helping others make it through the “murk of information”) — lie at the heart of persuading, influencing, and moving people:

Pair with this animation of Pink on why autonomy, mastery, and purpose are the keys to motivation and this closer look at To Sell Is Human.