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Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
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Overview

In his seminal marketing book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Dr Robert Cialdini laid out principles to hel ...

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Non enim, si omnia non sequebatur, idcirco non erat ortus illinc. Satisne vobis videor pro meo iure in vestris auribus commentatus? Qualem igitur hominem natura inchoavit? Si id dicis, vicimus. Tanti autem aderant vesicae et torminum morbi, ut nihil ad eorum magnitudinem posset accedere. Nihil sane.

Vitae autem degendae ratio maxime quidem illis placuit quieta. Miserum hominem! Si dolor summum malum est, dici aliter non potest. Mene ergo et Triarium dignos existimas, apud quos turpiter loquare? At ille non pertimuit saneque fidenter: Istis quidem ipsis verbis, inquit; Eam si varietatem diceres, intellegerem, ut etiam non dicente te intellego; Non autem hoc: igitur ne illud quidem. Non igitur de improbo, sed de callido improbo quaerimus, qualis Q. Amicitiam autem adhibendam esse censent, quia sit ex eo genere, quae prosunt. Nobis aliter videtur, recte secusne, postea; Quis est enim, in quo sit cupiditas, quin recte cupidus dici possit? Atqui haec patefactio quasi rerum opertarum, cum quid quidque sit aperitur, definitio est.

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Actionable Takeaways
  • Offer ‘freemium’ options to people’s problems (reciprocity)

Offering free servi ...

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Sit hoc ultimum bonorum, quod nunc a me defenditur; Ita ne hoc quidem modo paria peccata sunt. Theophrasti igitur, inquit, tibi liber ille placet de beata vita? Quare hoc videndum est, possitne nobis hoc ratio philosophorum dare. Cum ageremus, inquit, vitae beatum et eundem supremum diem, scribebamus haec. Quis enim potest ea, quae probabilia videantur ei, non probare? Nunc haec primum fortasse audientis servire debemus. Sed in rebus apertissimis nimium longi sumus.

Sit ista in Graecorum levitate perversitas, qui maledictis insectantur eos, a quibus de veritate dissentiunt. Aliter enim explicari, quod quaeritur, non potest. Qui igitur convenit ab alia voluptate dicere naturam proficisci, in alia summum bonum ponere? Non enim, si omnia non sequebatur, idcirco non erat ortus illinc. Nihil acciderat ei, quod nollet, nisi quod anulum, quo delectabatur, in mari abiecerat. Tum Piso: Quoniam igitur aliquid omnes, quid Lucius noster? Primum in nostrane potestate est, quid meminerimus? Bork Nam et complectitur verbis, quod vult, et dicit plane, quod intellegam;

Limitations

These principles could easily lead people into pitfalls if used for evil instead of goodness. It might encourage predatory behavior, indebting people through favours and using manipulation techniques. Cialdini 

In Practice

Reciprocity: free mints to increase tips

One study seemed to show the impact of reciprocity, with a slight increase in tips as a result of diners receiving free mints at the conclusion of their dinners.

Commitment: Writing down the appointment

One study showed that missed appointments at health centres were reduced by 18% when patients wrote down the appointment rather than staff. 

Liking: closing the deal 

According to Cialdini, in a study on negotiations of MBA students, one group was told to focus on getting the deal done, the other group was told to identify something in common before they began. The first group came to an agreement 55% of the time, the second group came to an agreement 90% of the time.

Consensus: nudging tax payments

The Behavioural Insights Team in the UK, or original Nudge Unit, discovered that by tweaking the wording of letters to taxpayers to reference the fact that most people in their town paid tax on time, resulted in a 15% increase in timely tax payments. 

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This model will help you to:

These principles are often used in sales and marketing and tend to play on common unconscious biases. They have been further explored by cognitive psychologists exploring behavioural economics. That said, they can be used in developing relationships and influence. 

Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave Cialdini’s six principles of influence into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above. 

Connected models: 

  • Fast and slow thinking: which underpins many of these approaches.  
  • Social proof: as it relates to liking and even authority.  
  • Supply and demand: as it relates to scarcity. 

Complementary models: 

  • 4Ps of marketing: considering the combination of these methods with the 4Ps. 
  • Hanlon’s razor: to support the development of effective relationships. 
  • Non-violent communication: to help uncover needs and connect.
Origins & Resources

Find out more from Dr Robert Cialdini’s book ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ and his broader services at his website  Influence at work.

My Notes

  • profile
    639 days ago Amin
    "Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence are reciprocity, scarcity, authority, commitment, liking and commitment. " One of the commitments was meant to be concensus...
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