Full article: http://illimitablemen.com/2014/04/25/how-to-apply-the-48-laws-of-power/

Meat of the article (not a TLDR by any measure):

Now in paragraph 1 talents which are fundamental to the weaponization of Machiavellianism were mentioned, so to begin:

Firstly, you need to possess an analytical mind, a mind that thinks more than it is feels, it is imperative that your modus operandi utilises logic rather than emotion if you are to apply the laws of power effectively. Emotive reasoning encourages fallibility, transparency (which is anti-Machiavellian) and the exposure of one’s weaknesses, women in particular find this talent incredibly difficult to master as it in essence goes against the very basis of their natures. Emotional reasoning leads to incorrect deductions and poor judgement. Emotive reasoning is inward (solipsistic) whilst logical reasoning is outward (abstract), in order to analyse one must be looking outward and comprehending the outward with as little confusion from the inward as possible, if this is achieved one can deduce with great precision.

Secondly, your mind must be mentally fit rather than lethargic, you must develop the muscle of your wit, that is to say you should understand people’s words and actions on multiple levels, entendre, innuendo, puns, they are the language of subtext, if you cannot pierce the realm of subtext, you cannot hope to be a successful Machiavellian. If you cannot understand the subtleties of a person’s character, you cannot hope to ever truly know and connect with them as the nature of their being in its entirety is beyond the limits of your mind’s understanding. Subtext is a realm of communication all of its own, if you are blind to it, it will become your Achilles’s heel and your obliviousness will reduce your overall effectiveness.

Thirdly, and this is something of an extension of the last point, articulacy, the silver tongue, you need the competency to verbally riposte with mental dexterity. This skill is incredibly important, mostly as a means of defence as to aid with deflection and pressure reversal, however, it may also be used as a tool of interrogation should that be one’s proclivity. It is an especially useful skill when one is caught off guard by an ambush, that is to say, a psychological test is posed to you abruptly in full-view of an audience where there is surmounting social pressure for you to respond with an air of effortlessness or otherwise incur a social penalty. A successful Machiavellian knows how to defend themselves from Machiavellian devices as well as attack with them and thus needs to be quick off the draw.

Fourthly, you must develop emotional intelligence (this is where women make up for their weakness in point 1), this doesn't mean that you should analyse with emotion but rather that you must be capable of communicating with it, understand the relationship between emotions by learning how they invoke and relate to neighbouring emotions. Likewise to be capable of this you should have an intricate grasp of the characteristics and depth of each emotion. You need to understand the nature of each emotion itself so that this can be leveraged to influence people into predictable outcomes. Portraying the correct emotional appearance for the context at hand as well as understanding how other people's emotions form the basis of their disposition is another fundamental facet of emotional intelligence. By understanding emotion you can effectively fill another person's emotional void by making yourself the source of the emotion they lust for (law 11 - keep people dependant on you.) Understanding someone's emotional makeup is the most effective way of influencing them as it allows you to be a supplier of what they mentally crave. With enough knowledge of a particular character anyone can be a source of emotional sustenance for another regardless of the amount of physical resources they possess, this ability to be an emotional object of desire can allow for great social mobility and thus it's importance is not to be underestimated. Likewise, emotional intelligence combined with an understanding of a person's interpersonal relationships can be used to identify a person's emotional weak spots and leverage those for gain should you choose to engage in a more aggressive approach.

Fifthly, you must develop the ability to cold read, that is to say, detect, comprehend and understand subtle non-verbal cues such as vocal tonality, posture/body language, eye/facial movements, choice of clothing/accessorization as well as accent and lingual register (e.g.: posh speak, Ebonics etc.) This allows you to deduce someone’s state in real-time; quickly deduce the type of character they are presenting to you, as well as process feedback about how they currently feel about you. Knowing how people truly feel about you regardless of what they say as well as having the ability to make accurate generalisations about a person without having to psychologically probe them for the information is an invaluable skill. Cold-reading is undoubtedly a prerequisite on any budding Machiavellian’s list of talents as it contributes to the previously mentioned importance of critical analysis, the need for a mind that can reach outward rather than one that is predisposed to imprison itself inwardly.

Sixthly is superficial charm, Machiavellianism requires constant in-field analysis and ample socialisation, every interaction you have should have meaning to it, in your conversations you should be summing a person up and collecting information on each of those you interact with so that you may come to understand the true nature of the people you deal with. Likewise in the process of doing so you may also happen upon valuable information which has the potential to grant you personal power over said people (e.g.: secrets, admissions in confidence etc.) It is so incredibly common nowadays that the average man or woman seeks to greet you with an inauthentic version of themselves, their fabled social representative, it is this form of learned defence mechanism people employ that you must overcome in order to become properly acquainted. It is thusly important that Machiavellianism is veiled with charm and/or humour, charm is the anaesthesia of suspicion, it allows you to probe deeply into the psyche of others without causing pain or suspicion, just as in the physical realm chemical sedatives allow doctors to operate on a person in much the same way. If people do not feel they can trust you, if you lack the ability to make people feel comfortable with a charming disposition, no matter how superficial that charm is, then the interrogative nature of a Machiavellian will arouse ill-feeling that can result in ostracisation. For best results one should always apply charm, charm is necessary for comfort.

These six components are that which make up the vocational toolbox required to facilitate a person’s successful application of the 48 Laws of Power, reading the book and having none or perhaps only one or two of the qualities I just listed will not turn you into a competent Machiavellian as you will lack the vocational competency to effectively execute the laws of power. The book in and of itself is not enough to create a Machiavellian, but merely acts to enable the oblivious everyday man or woman to recognise when they’re dealing with a Machiavellian. If you wish to become a successful Machiavellian you must achieve competency in the skills previously listed for if you do not you will be deficient in ability, crippling your effectiveness.