Influence: Science and Practice

Usefulness in my own life: 

Key Points:

There are 6 principles of influence

1.      Rule of reciprocation. People feel pressure to return back to those who did something for them. Robert Cialdini tells us how Krishna society was taking advantage of this principle by presenting a flower to the people in the airport and then demanding donations for their society.

2.       The principle of scarcity. If something is less available it is more attractive for people. In the experiment where people were divided into two groups where one group was provided with two cookies and the other one provided with ten cookies, the participants from the first group tended to consider the cookies better tasting that the participants from the second.

3.      Commitment and Consistency. People have this inner-drive to remain consistent with who they are and what they do. This inner-drive becomes even stronger if people declare publicly what they are consistent in. But for making people consistent we need to make them commit at least once. Cialdini tells us that when the patients in the hospital who were doing recovery exercises were asked to prepare “inspirational” tapes for others their consistency level increased even more.

4.      Rule of Consensus or People Proof. People repeat what other people similar to them are doing. The reader will find out about the humorous situation that this rule has once created that almost led to the bankruptcy of a stable bank.

5.      Authority and Trustworthiness. People are ready to blindly follow the authority as long as they trust him or her. In this book, you will find out how some waitresses take advantage of this rule and frequently trick you in the restaurant.

6.      Liking. If you make someone like you, they are more likely to say yes to you. Just keep in mind that people tend to like the ones who are similar to them ;)

What I Liked In The Book

       1.    I like the fact that we are told not just how to influence others but also how to avoid an unwanted influence as well.

    2.    The childish division of people into groups called bunglers, smugglers and detectives of influence adds some humour to the topic and also helps to uncover the issue of ethics.

      3.    Every single point is backed up by a real life example that doesn’t seem to be made up : )

What I didn’t like

      1.    Vocabulary used is quite sophisticated and it might be hard to understand for English as second language readers.

                    

2.     Description of some examples is way too long and sometimes you just ask yourself why the hell should I care about so many details?

3.     The first couple of points is explored more deeply than the last ones. The book is not balanced in this respect.Vocabulary used is quite sophisticated and it might be hard to understand for English as a second language readers.

If you are a manager who wants to influence their employees or a salesperson who tries to sell his product or just a person who wants to influence others you definitely need to read this book.

Don’t forget to leave a comment : )