The ability to persuade and convince others to make a decision or to follow your direction is an essential skill for becoming a successful leader. For many centuries, we lived in societies and workplaces dominated by a hierarchical distribution of power, resulting in the more powerful person holding more influence. However, in the modern society, with rising middle class and more horizontal structure at workplaces, it is an indisputable fact that with more influence comes more power now. 

When it comes to the subjects of influence and persuasion, Dr. Robert Cialdini and his best-selling classic 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion', is the most authoritative sources. Published in 1984, the book is filled with Cialdini's own real life findings over the regular the collection of academic studies and experiments. His findings and learning can be classified into 6 universal principles of influence which anyone can use in their daily life. 

1.Reciprocity 

The first principle, reciprocity, is simply the obligation to repay. The famous archaeologist Richard Leakey ascribes the essence of what makes us human to the reciprocity system, points out Cialdini in his book. "We are human because our ancestors learned to share their food and their skills in an honored network of obligation," says Leakey. Cialdini argues that " a widely shared and strongly held feeling of future obligation made an enormous difference in human social evolution because it meant that one person could give something (for example, food, energy, care) to another with confidence that it was not being lost. For the first time in evolutionary history, one individual could give away any of a variety of resources without actually giving them away". 

It all boils down to 'give before you take'. In an interview with blogger Eric Barker, Cialdini noted that people give back to you the kind of treatment that they've received from you. If you do something first, by giving them an item of value, a piece of information, or a positive attitude, it will all come back to you. The key is to go first. 

2.Consistency and Commitment 

Modern research in psychologists has long identified the power of the consistency principle to direct human action. Psychologists such as Leon Festinger, Fritz Hieder, and Theodore Newcomb, as Cialdini pointed out, have viewed the desire for consistency as a central motivator of our behavior. It is often pointed out that people tend to act in favor of others who are committed to same values as they have and show consistency in behavior.

Cialdini says, "to understand why consistency is so powerful a motive, it is important to recognize that in most circumstances consistency is valued and adaptive. "Inconsistency is commonly thought to be an undesirable personality trait. The person whose beliefs, words, and deeds don't match may be seen as indecisive, confused, two-faced, or even mentally ill. On the other side, a high degree of consistency is normally associated with personal and intellectual strength. It is at the heart of logic, rationality, stability, and honesty." 

3.Social Proof 

Remember seeing an ad of the latest car with a caption saying 'voted as India's car of the year'? This is a straight forward use of the principle of social proof. Go to a blog and you can see how many others subscribed to its newsletter, watch a sitcom and you will hear 'canned laugh' at all the jokes even before you laugh, go to a smartphone website and you will find the number of units sold - these are all further evidence of how the concept of social proof is used to persuade us. 

In the book 'Influence', it is said that "the tendency to see an action as more appropriate when others are doing it normally works quite well. As a rule, we will make fewer mistakes by acting in accord with social evidence than contrary to it. Usually, when a lot of people are doing something, it is the right thing to do. Cialdini says, "people will be likely to say yes to your request if you give them evidence that people just like them have been saying yes to it, too." 

...[ Continue to next page ]

Share This Post