The science of persuasion is an interesting reading that illustrates the necessity to use six techniques to persuade people rather than depending on one’s ability to convince others. Individuals follow the principle of reciprocity. In this instance, a person is more likely to say yes to a person they owe than another without prior interaction. Therefore, one should give first, genuinely and make the experience personalized and unexpected (Influenceatwork, 2012). Furthermore, persuasion works best when one can illustrate the scarcity of their offerings. The persuader should provide the benefits of seeking their product or service; illustrate the tenets that make it unique and what individuals would stand to lose if they did not consider their proposal (Influenceatwork, 2012). If an individual provides a scarce resource, they are more likely to persuade others to join their side. Additionally, individuals also benefit from using authority when convincing others (Influenceatwork, 2012). People are more likely to follow credible knowledgeable experts and would say yes to their proposal when compared to others.
It is important to illustrate one’s expertise in a field if you are to easily convince others to follow your lead on an issue. It is important to discern the importance of consistency in persuading individuals. To convince a person requires looking for voluntary, active, and public commitments. It is ideal to get these commitments in writing to elicit success when using this technique. Additionally, individuals are more likely to say yes to a person they like (Influenceatwork, 2012). People like others if they are similar to them, pay them compliments, and cooperate with them towards mutual goals. Finally, individuals are likely to make decisions based on others’ choices through consensus (Influenceatwork, 2012). In this case, many people will look to the actions of others to determine their own. The science of persuasion is helpful in advancing one’s professional career by enabling cooperation for project completion as it would eliminate friction between workers. If individuals are on the same page they are less likely to waste time arguing about particular aspects of the project as they would be on the same page.
References
Influence at Work. (2012). Science Of Persuasion. YouTube. Web.