Robert Cialdini: How To Master The Art Of ‘Pre-Suasion’ by Dan Schawbel
I spoke to Robert Cialdini, author of Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade, about why he wrote this book after over thirty years, how pre-suasian is so important when persuading others, how to better influence your managers to get a promotion and his best career advice.
Cialdini is recognized worldwide for his inspired field research on the psychology of influence. He is a New York Times bestselling author. His books, including Influence, have sold more than three million copies in thirty-three languages. Dr. Cialdini is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and the president and CEO of Influence at Work, an international company that provides keynotes and influence training on how to use the lessons in Dr. Cialdini’s books ethically and effectively.
Dan Schawbel: Why did you decide to write this book over thirty years after your classic bestseller “Influence”? What’s different in this book compared to your earlier one?
Robert Cialdini: The truth is I never had an idea big enough to compete with Influence. I didn’t want to plant a set of bushes around the tree that is Influence. I wanted to wait until I had a seed for another tree, which finally arrived as Pre-Suasion. As opposed to Influence, which covers what best to build into a message to get agreement, Pre-suasion describes the process of gaining agreement with a message before it’s been sent. Although that may seem like some form of magic, it’s not. It’s established science.
Dan Schawbel: What is the key moment before a message is delivered and why is it so important to persuading others?
Robert Cialdini: That key moment is the one that allows a communicator to create a state of mind in recipients that is consistent with the forthcoming message. It’s the moment in which we can arrange for others to be attuned to our message before they encounter it. That step is crucial for maximizing desired change. For example, in one study, when researchers approached individuals and asked for help with a marketing survey, only 29% agreed to participate. But, if the researchers approached a second sample of individuals and preceded that request with a simple, pre-suasive question, “Do you consider yourself a helpful person?” now 77.3% volunteered. Why? When asked before the request if they were helpful, nearly everyone answered yes. Then, when the request occurred, most agreed to participate in order to be consistent with the recently activated idea of themselves as helpful people.
Read the full article here.
Pre-Suasion – Description
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini Ph.D.
The author of the legendary bestseller Influence, social psychologist Robert Cialdini shines a light on effective persuasion and reveals that the secret doesn’t lie in the message itself, but in the key moment before that message is delivered.
What separates effective communicators from truly successful persuaders? Using the same combination of rigorous scientific research and accessibility that made his Influence an iconic bestseller, Robert Cialdini explains how to capitalize on the essential window of time before you deliver an important message. This “privileged moment for change” prepares people to be receptive to a message before they experience it. Optimal persuasion is achieved only through optimal pre-suasion. In other words, to change “minds” a pre-suader must also change “states of mind.”
His first solo work in over thirty years, Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion draws on his extensive experience as the most cited social psychologist of our time and explains the techniques a person should implement to become a master persuader. Altering a listener’s attitudes, beliefs, or experiences isn’t necessary, says Cialdini—all that’s required is for a communicator to redirect the audience’s focus of attention before a relevant action.
From studies on advertising imagery to treating opiate addiction, from the annual letters of Berkshire Hathaway to the annals of history, Cialdini draws on an array of studies and narratives to outline the specific techniques you can use on online marketing campaigns and even effective wartime propaganda. He illustrates how the artful diversion of attention leads to successful pre-suasion and gets your targeted audience primed and ready to say, “Yes.”
Pre-Suasion – Review
“The great social psychologist Robert Cialdini has written another timeless and indispensable book about the psychology of influence. I’ll be recommending it for years and years.”—Amy Cuddy, author of Presence
“An utterly fascinating read on how the most important drivers of persuasion aren’t the words we choose in the moment, but how we set the stage beforehand. Robert Cialdini is the world’s foremost expert on influence, and you will never look at it the same way again.”—Adam Grant, author of Originals and Give and Take
“No psychologist’s research has been used more often or successfully than that of Robert Cialdini, who literally “wrote the book” on influence. Now, he’s done it again, showing us the power of the moment before an attempt to persuade. This is classic Cialdini—authoritative, original, and immediately practical.”—Richard H. Thaler, co-author of Nudge and author of Misbehaving
“Robert Cialdini’s Influence is, by a wide margin, the book that I recommend most often. Pre-Suasion may be even more shockingly insightful.” –Chip Heath, co-author of Switch and Made to Stick
“[Pre-Suasion] is sure to be an important contribution to the fields of social psychology and behavioral economics…detailed, readable, and fascinating, this book may cause the reader to wonder whether unbiased decisions are possible.”—Publishers Weekly
