Make sure you're right

Remarkably persuasive people understand how to frame and deliver their messages, but most important, they embrace the fact that the message is what matters.

Be clear, be concise, be to the point, and win the day because your data, reasoning, and conclusions are beyond reproach. And always use your persuasion skills for good, not evil.

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The Psychology of Persuasion

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I get a lot of emails from people asking me about the psychology of persuasion. Learning about the ways people (honestly and dishonestly) influence you is one of the best things to learn early in life. But it's never too late. The go to book on the psychology of persuasion is Robert Cialdini's Influence.

Key Idea

Principles of persuasion

Reciprocation: People will be nice if you are.
Consistency: It’s easier to get people to comply with requests they see as consistent with what they’ve already said.
Social proof: People will more likely say yes when they see other people doing it too.
Liking: You comply with requests from people you like more than from people you don’t like.
Authority: Our tendency is to be persuaded by authority figures.
Scarcity: If you offer people something rare or scarce, they are more likely to want it.

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When To Influence People, When To Inform Them, And How To Know The Difference

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Sharing knowledge, expertise, and information can help you be more persuasive, but it isn’t persuasion itself.

Key Ideas

Influencing Authoritative Figures

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While educating a higher-up about a particular subject, we assume that we are the experts and somehow have power over others listening to us impart knowledge.

But influencing authoritative figures takes more than just expertise and the art of persuasion requires us to get off the pedestal and relinquish the power that we think we have.

Learning To Deliver Information

The audience who are the decision-makers will not be sold just by the logic of your proposal and how much sense it makes - you have to package it in a way that is at the right level with your audience, in straightforward terms.

It also helps to ensure that the leaders who are listening to you feel smart.

Coming Across As Trustworthy

While making the pitch to an audience, the personal trust the presenter has built with them is more important than the quality of the proposal.

While it is natural to focus on the content and assume that one’s ideas will be accepted based on merit, the person who comes across as trustworthy, thoughtful and having sound judgement is the one who is able to make the best deal.

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