Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade Paperback – June 5, 2018

Summary: There are certain moments that can be created to influence future actions to be more favorable towards your desired outcome, however, these are usually temporary windows of opportunity.A person’s choice is usually related to the amount of attention given. If you want someone to make a certain selection, give it more attention by elevating its importance. If we can focus someones attention, it makes that thing more important to them than before. Interestingly, this directly applies to the “pick-up artist” community which talks a lot about maintaining the attention of the girl or the group for as long as possible.A quite interesting anecdote is about starting prices on online auction sites like eBay. Turns out, starting your auction low is best because it will generate more bidders and future bidders are likely to confuse that added interest with the worth of the product rather than the initial price. This is social proof and actually something I did in my high school days to earn money by selling used PDAs on eBay.Another interesting comment in the book says that research shows performing an action and imagining performing an action involves some of the same brain components. In NLP: The Essential Guide, a study is referenced in which three groups were told to either not practice shooting free throws, mentally practice, or physically practice and those who only mentally practiced scored within 1 point of those who physically practiced (those who did not practice showed no improvements).The one hold-up I have with this book which the author unknowingly brought to my attention due to his repeated attack on the industry professionals who do not value the scientific studies mentioned in the book, who do not believe they relate to the real world. I never thought about it before, but you can manipulate knowingly or unknowingly a study to favor your outcome. Plus, if you have a hypothesis, and you use up your (or someone else’s) time and money to research it, you want a positive outcome at the end.Additionally, if you test for something a dozen different ways, you’re bound to get the outcome you want. To me, these are huge blemishes that need to be addressed.

We first encountered Robert Cialdini’s work in the 1980s, through his clarifying and legendary book, Influence: Science and Practice, which is as popular as ever today in its 5th edition. Now, comes his successor volume that will underscore Cialdini’s deserved reputation as our preeminent scholar and explainer of how persuasion works.In Pre-suasion--observe the shrewd prefix--Cialdini introduces readers to the powerful window of opportunity before the launch of any persuasive message. He illustrates how one must set the stage before delivering the pitch. Tilling the soil, preparing it for seed, can determine outcomes, just as surely as the viability of seed itself. Here are just a few examples from the scores that he offers:During the Iraq war, the U.S. military embedded journalists with troops that they were covering. What were the effects of this arrangement on war reporting?If you host a dinner party with French wine, how can you make your guests find the wine ever so much more enjoyable?Are there simple strategies that boost the chances that at-risk job seekers actually become employable?Can using a metaphor help your sales pitch?Cialdini shares intriguing answers to these and many more questions, ranging from mundane to cosmic themes in human behavior. Everything he writes about readers can apply to their own lives and careers. His style is witty, even conversational. But, he never dumbs-down to ignore solid evidence or the complications of applying social science to real, day-to-day situations. The Endnotes, nearly 70 pages on top of more than 230 pages of text, represent fascinating reading.We are assigning Pre-suasion to our university students. But, the book is even better than that. It’s a manual for living. And, for understanding why the result is often assured, for ill or good, even before the persuasive effort has begun.Susan H. Evans and Peter Clarke