Save to My Latticework unsave

Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence
save0 saved view38.7K views
Share this with your network
Share this with your network
Overview

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

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quid, si non sensus modo ei sit datus, verum etiam animus hominis? Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides. Gloriosa ostentatio in constituendo summo bono. Nos vero, inquit ille; Ad corpus diceres pertinere-, sed ea, quae dixi, ad corpusne refers? An hoc usque quaque, aliter in vita? Sed ut iis bonis erigimur, quae expectamus, sic laetamur iis, quae recordamur. Quae si potest singula consolando levare, universa quo modo sustinebit? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Cum audissem Antiochum, Brute, ut solebam, cum M.

At eum nihili facit; Et quidem saepe quaerimus verbum Latinum par Graeco et quod idem valeat; Illis videtur, qui illud non dubitant bonum dicere -; An vero displicuit ea, quae tributa est animi virtutibus tanta praestantia? Quae enim adhuc protulisti, popularia sunt, ego autem a te elegantiora desidero. Cum sciret confestim esse moriendum eamque mortem ardentiore studio peteret, quam Epicurus voluptatem petendam putat. Haec para/doca illi, nos admirabilia dicamus. Nos paucis ad haec additis finem faciamus aliquando;

Septem autem illi non suo, sed populorum suffragio omnium nominati sunt. Mihi quidem Antiochum, quem audis, satis belle videris attendere. Ratio enim nostra consentit, pugnat oratio. Non quaeritur autem quid naturae tuae consentaneum sit, sed quid disciplinae. Audio equidem philosophi vocem, Epicure, sed quid tibi dicendum sit oblitus es. Prioris generis est docilitas, memoria; Cuius similitudine perspecta in formarum specie ac dignitate transitum est ad honestatem dictorum atque factorum. Non enim iam stirpis bonum quaeret, sed animalis.

Share this model with your network to be smarter, faster, together!
Actionable Takeaways
  • Offer ‘freemium’ options to people’s problems (reciprocity)

Offering free servi ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Videsne quam sit magna dissensio? Ego quoque, inquit, didicerim libentius si quid attuleris, quam te reprehenderim. Hoc loco tenere se Triarius non potuit. Atqui reperies, inquit, in hoc quidem pertinacem;

Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. A quibus propter discendi cupiditatem videmus ultimas terras esse peragratas.

Atqui eorum nihil est eius generis, ut sit in fine atque extrerno bonorum. Qui enim voluptatem ipsam contemnunt, iis licet dicere se acupenserem maenae non anteponere.

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. 

Build your latticework
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
    651 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...
Already a ModelThinkers member? Please log in here.

Oops, That’s Members’ Only!

Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.

ModelThinkers membership at a glance:

Small mark
UNLOCK EVERYTHING
Access all mental models and premium content.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR LATTICEWORK
Save models to your personal list.
Small mark
QUICKLY MEMORISE MODELS
Use our Learn function to embed models to memory
Small mark
PERSONALISE MODELS
Add your own notes and reminders.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR ‘EXTERNAL BRAIN’
Discover a new idea? Capture it by adding a new model.
Small mark
JOIN THE MT COMMUNITY
Rate models, comment and access exclusive events.

“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”

Arun Pradhan & Shai Desai
CoFounders, ModelThinkers.

You Might Also Like:

- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.