Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion

Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion

🔥NEW Persuasion is an important skill. Many have assumed that this tool is beyond their grasp, available only to the charismatic and the eloquent. Research over the past decades, though, shows that persuasion is governed by six principles that can be taught and applied. These are the Principles of Persuasion of Cialdini:

1. Principle #1 LIKING
   How to establish liking? Uncover real similarities and offer genuine praise.
   Controlled research has identified several factors that contribute to liking, but two stand out as especially compelling - similarity and praise.
   
   • Similarity literally draws people together. People are more likely to follow someone similar to them than someone who is not. Informal conversations during the workday create an ideal opportunity for managers to discover at least one common area of enjoyment. The important thing is to establish the bond early because it creates a presumption of goodwill and trustworthiness in every subsequent encounter.
   • Praise, the other generator of affection, both charms and disarms. Experimental data shows that positive remarks about another person's traits, attitude, or performance reliably generates liking in return. Managers can also use praise to repair a damaged or unproductive relationship.
2. Principle #2 RECIPROCITY
   How to establish reciprocity? Give what you want to receive.
   Managers can elicit the desired behaviour from coworkers and employees by displaying it first. Reciprocity confers a genuine first-mover advantage on anyone who is trying to foster positive attitudes and productive personal relationships in the office. Whether it's a sense of trust, a spirit of cooperation, or a pleasant demeanour, leaders should model the behaviour they want to see from others.
3. Principle #3 SOCIAL PROOF
   How to establish social proof? Use peer power whenever it's available.
   Persuasion can be effective when it comes from peers. The science supports what most sales professionals already know, testimonials from satisfied customers work best when the customer and the prospective share similar circumstances. Influence is often best exerted horizontally rather than vertically.
4. Principle #4 CONSISTENCY
   How to establish consistency? Make people's commitments active, public, and voluntary.
   Research has showed that most people, once they take a stand or go on record in favour of a position, prefer to stick to it. There's strong empirical evidence to indicate that a choice made actively - one that's spoken out loud or written or otherwise made explicit - is considerably more likely to direct someone's future conduct than the same choice left unspoken. Research also suggests that written statements become even more powerful when they're made public, as most people wish to appear consistent to others.
5. Principle #5 AUTHORITY
   How to establish authority? Expose your expertise; don't assume it's self-evident.
   A well-selected expert offers a valuable and efficient shortcut to wise decisions in our complex life. Some questions, be they legal, financial, medical, or technological, require so much specialised knowledge to answer, we have no choice but to rely on experts.
   Since there's good reason to defer to experts, leaders should take pains to establish their own expertise before attempting to exert influence. During the preliminary conversation before most meetings, there is always an opportunity to touch lightly on your relevant background and experience as a natural part of a sociable exchange. This initial disclosure of personal information gives you a chance to establish expertise early in the game, so that when the discussion turns to the business, what you say will be accorded the respect it deserves.
6. Principle #6 SCARCITY
   How to establish scarcity? Highlight unique benefits and exclusive information.
   Study after study shows that items and opportunities are seen to be more valuable as they become less available. Exclusive information is more persuasive than widely available data. Loss language also figures far more heavily in decision-making than gain language. However, no offer of exclusive information, no exhortation to act now or miss this opportunity forever should be made unless it is genuine.

The 6 fundamental principles are relatively easy for most people to grasp. Actually applying them is more difficult and requires talent and practicing. Leaders can apply them in combination to compound their impact.
To achieve a long-term effect, managers should also use theses principles with ethics, otherwise, the organisation can't function properly with ill trust and cooperation.
Source: Cialdini, R., 2001. Harnessing the Science of Persuasion. Harvard Business Review.

		Comments Sort by date Sort by rating Rating
		3 Tendekai Dzinamarira Manager, Zimbabwe
	The 6 Principles of Persuasion in Sales (Selling) These commonly known principles of influencing skills or Principles of Persuasion (POP) by Robert Ci... Sign up

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Preparing for Persuasion Principles ❗An important question is what things you need to do or know before you can successfully appl... Sign up

		3 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Successful Persuasion Follows from Understanding the Status Quo of the Person/Buyer The principles of the "seller's" behavior covered in this model are solid. A person prefers to deal ... Sign up

		3 Frederic A Parker Consultant, United States
	6 Principles of Cialdini Must not be Misused Interesting topic I will enjoy mulling over in coming days. We see all of these 6 principles employ... Sign up

		1 Aurore Manager, Haiti
	The Impacts of the Six Kills of Persuasion These skills work perfectly in management: They effectively help to improve motivations and per... Sign up

		2 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	The Negative Mindset to the 6 Principles of Persuasion Just as the Tell, Sell, Consult, Join and Delegate styles of management/leadership (as well as many ... Sign up

		3 Frederic A Parker Consultant, United States
	Beware the Manipulators on All Sides @Maurice Hogarth: I agree with this comment, as I briefly mentioned in an earlier remark. As your co... Sign up

		3 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Fear as a Persuader Fear is a powerful force that has not been openly identified in our discussion. People who want to i... Sign up

		1 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Fear from Coercion or Persuasion? @Helen Strong I understand your point and my comment below may be considered as being nit-picking an... Sign up

		3 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	The Role of Fear in Cialdini's 6 Principles of Persuasion Great discussion. Ms. Strong is right to point to the importance of Fear in Cialdini's 6 Principles ... Sign up

		0 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Covering All Situations @Maurice Hogarth: With damaged and benefits I was trying to use broad terms to cover a wide variety ... Sign up