Reviewed Dec 08 M Rhodes Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion McGraw Hill ISBN: 0-688-12816-5 Author: Dr Robert Cialdini Overview

Most books of applied psychology either they lack scientific rigor or read in too academic a manner. Cialdini's has managed to fulfil both of these characteristics combining wide and deep scientific scholarship with a warm engaging style. The book focuses on several factors that evolution and culture have drilled into us to produce compliance. These psychological factors are reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. Each is a powerful factor in how we behave and are useful to both the honest professional and shady character. Any reader will find the research results stunning and disturbing. Cialdini does however prepare the reader by concluding each chapter with guides on "How to say no". This is a powerful book and should be part of any professionals reference library. Chapter 1 Weapons of Influence Many of our human behaviours are automatic. Just like any machine, if you press the right buttons, there is a Click..Whrrr and you behave a specific way. Cialdini has studied these automatic responses and identified 6 main characteristics. These are presented clearly and comprehensively using a variety of case studies to support his cases. Chapter 2 Reciprocation: The old give and take...and take Cialdini presents a number of case studies to support the idea that if you give a person some thing, they are psychologically programmed to feel a compulsion to give you something in return. This can be seen in charities sending you a free pen with they donation request letter or the classic Hare Krishna giving of a flower prior to asking for a donation. It is a compelling psychological contract that you enter into when accepting a gift and you need to be aware of its effects on you and your customers. Avoid by Chapter 3 Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind People are more confident when they are committed to something rather than before they commit. When someone acts or decides on something publicly, they are more likely to defend it than if their opinions are known. Additionally, there is a drive to be consistent with earlier decisions. A person can therefore be more content with their decision rather than facing the discomfort of realising they may have made a mistake.

The influence of consistency can be seen in the classic yes sets. By building questions that a person must answer with a yes they develop a short term habit of saying yes either mentally or physically. This pattern is harder to break when asking a question that commits the person to buying or agreeing to something. Avoid by Chapter 4 Social Proof: Truths Are Us Cialdini identifies that people generally follow the group instinct. Therefore is several people have made a decision, then the general acceptance of the group has a persuasive influence over others making that same decision. Peer group pressure typifies this need for social proof in the young and Groupthink perhaps more than most other concepts demonstrates the influence of social proof. Avoid by Chapter 5 Liking: The Friendly Thief Cialdini outlines the general observation that all things being equal, we will generally say yes to people we know and like. Catalogue parties such as Tupperware and Crystal use this concept well. A hostess (not exclusively women however) invites those she knows and likes to her home and offers products to her friends. Her friends then find it difficult to resist a request from a close friend and the products sell very quickly. Avoid by Chapter 6 Authority: Directed Deference Authority is a very powerful source of influence. People are more likely to act in line with the requests from a known authority because they assume that by virtue of their position in authority this person is in a better position to decide. Such a wilful sacrifice of personal responsibility is common in crises when people look to a uniformed person to take charge. Avoid by Chapter 7 Scarcity: The Rule of the Few The influence of scarcity is typified by the behaviour of collectors the world over. Coins, stamps and baseball cards are all traded and sold for differing values based on how available they are. A common item is worth pennies but a rare item can be worth much more. By demonstrating that scarcity of something, a person can be influenced into acting to protect themselves from the impact of a scarcity of that commodity. Avoid by Conclusion Cialdini has written a highly comprehensive and interesting book on the 6 main ways in which people can be influenced. Supported by robust analysis and a large number of case studies, Cialdini has presented a clear discussion of the techniques that can be used to guide us towards decisions we may ordinarily make.

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