Persuasion is the act of influencing someone's thoughts, beliefs, or actions through communication. There are six fundamental principles of persuasion made famous by Robert Cialdini in the book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
- Reciprocity: People tend to want to return a favor when someone has done something nice for them.
- Scarcity: People perceive things as more valuable when they are scarce or hard to obtain.
- Authority: People are more likely to be persuaded by someone they perceive as an authority figure.
- Liking: People are more likely to be persuaded by someone they like or have a positive relationship with.
- Commitment: People are more likely to be persuaded when they have made a public commitment to a particular course of action.
- Social proof: People are more likely to be persuaded when they see others around them doing something. This is also called the principle of consensus.
Effective Persuasion Techniques: An Extended List
Another persuasion strategy is the two-sided appeal, also known as two-sided argumentation, which is a persuasive technique that involves presenting both sides of an issue or argument. The purpose of this technique is to demonstrate that the person or group attempting to persuade has considered all sides of the issue and is being fair and objective in their presentation. For example, an online review for a product may be more credible if both pros and cons of the product are described.
Here are some other principles that can be used to persuade beyond the six fundamental principles:
- Emotional appeal: People are more likely to be persuaded when an argument elicits an emotional response.
- Shared utility: People are persuaded if they believe that they share common goals with the messenger.
- Risk-to-Reward: People are more likely to be persuaded when when the risk-to-reward ration is very low.
- Messenger utility: People are persuaded if they believe that the messenger has little to gain from the process of persuasion.
- Familiarity: People are more likely to be persuaded by things that are familiar to them.
- Rational appeal: People are more likely to be persuaded by logical arguments and evidence.
- Persistence: People are more likely to be persuaded when the person trying to persuade them is persistent and doesn't give up easily.
- Storytelling: People are more likely to be persuaded when information is presented in a story or narrative format.
- Specificity: People are sometimes persuaded when the appeal is highly specific and detailed.
- Novelty: People are sometimes persuaded when the arguments in the appeal is novel.
- Trust: People are more likely to be persuaded when they trust the person trying to persuade them.
- Credibility: People are more likely to be persuaded when the person trying to persuade them is perceived as credible and trustworthy.
- Urgency: People are more likely to be persuaded when they feel a sense of urgency about the issue being discussed.
- Personalization: People are more likely to be persuaded when the message is tailored to their specific needs and interests.
- Loss aversion: People are more likely to be persuaded when they feel that they will lose something if they do not take the desired action.
- Framing: The way in which information is presented can influence how it is perceived and can be a powerful tool for persuasion.
- Contrast: People are more likely to be persuaded when they see a clear contrast between two options.
- Inoculation: People are more resistant to persuasion when they have been "inoculated" with counterarguments in advance.
- Ego: People are more likely to be persuaded when their ego is appealed to or when they feel that their status will be increased by taking the desired action.
- Skin-in-the-game: People are more likely persuaded when they feel that the messenger is invested in a common desirable outcome.
- Simplicity: People are more likely to be persuaded when the message is simple and easy to understand.
- Curiosity: People are more likely to be persuaded when they are curious about something and want to learn more.
- Association: People are more likely to be persuaded when the thing being promoted is associated with positive emotions or experiences.
- Extreme outcome: People are persuaded when the potential outcome is extremely is higly favorable or unfavorable. For example, the chance to win a very large prize.
- Confidence: People are more likely to be persuaded when the person trying to persuade them is confident in their message.
- Personal values: People are more likely to be persuaded when the message aligns with their personal values.
- Flattery: People are more likely to be persuaded when they are flattered or given compliments.
- Against all odds: People are likely to believe people whose unlikely messages in the past came true.
- Fear: People are more likely to be persuaded when they feel a sense of fear or worry about the consequences of not taking the desired action.
- Arousal: People are more likely to be persuaded when they are in a heightened state of arousal, such as when they are excited or anxious.
- Repetition: Repeating a message multiple times can increase its persuasiveness.
- Anchoring: People are more likely to be influenced by the first piece of information they receive on a subject, which can anchor their subsequent thoughts and decisions.
- Scarcity of information: People are more likely to be persuaded when they feel that the information being provided is scarce or hard to come by.
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