This document outlines various principles of persuasion that can be used ethically or unethically. It discusses principles like reciprocity, social proof, authority, and scarcity. It notes that while persuasion can be used for positive outcomes, it is important to always consider ethical implications and make sure any persuasion techniques are not deceptive or harmful to others.

1. Persuasion
Today’s most used principles of persuasion

2. Ethics
Everything can be turned in a bad way.
The act of persuasion can lead to great results. Always look
for a win-win situation
Not Ethical !
Not Ethical !
Not Ethical ! Useable but ethical issues
Careful !
Do Not Use. Ever !

4. Liking

5. Bonding/ Compassion
Do something without negotiation
Works with family, friends…

6. Confidence
Believe in what you do
Importance of body language: it has to match what you say
Tips : firm handshake , smile, have your hands in your back while
listening…

7. Framing
Give a frame to the person you want to persuade
Tip: mirror the other person, use the same gestures,
breathe the same way

8. This is GOOD framing
No sunglasses
Eating at the same time
Look in the eyes
Sunglasses
Elbows on the table
Looking down
Same leg position
1
2

9. But be Careful
One gesture has different meanings
You need a full sentence to understand the meaning of a
word. The same applies to a gesture

10. Similarity
Mr Washington lives in Washington Street
Louise lives in Louisiana

11. it works with numbers too
YAY

12. People born on 02/02 live in Two Rocks
People born in 03/03 live in Three Falls

13. Similarity
We like people who look like us

14. Trust
If you’re consistent in what you do, i’ll trust you more, it
lowers the uncertainty !
How to build trust?
Do no harm
Keep your promises
Always tell the truth

15. Reciprocity

16. Exchange
Humanitarian : Soudan helping Mexico after a flood
Sales: ‘You’re a friend’ best car seller in the US
Marketing : Free gifts
Religion : ex of Krishna Church

17. Thank you cards: Easy and efficient

18. Contrast
Hot water / cold water buckets experience
Compare yourself to others: people look up rather than down: they
feel poor
Compare two people: a good looking one will look average if the
other is even better looking.
Sales: buy expensive item first : the add-ons will appear cheaper ($20
000 car + $1000 navigation system)

19. Too much choice leads to indecisiveness

20. Hurt and Rescue
Good cop/bad cop: threats from bad cop, then good cop : ‘he’s
serious but I can help but you need to tell me now’

21. Consistency

22. Consistency (cont)
Foot in the door technique : start small and ask for more : (put a small
logo for road safety on your lawn 3 weeks later you’re more willing to
accept a huge billboard on your lawn for that cause)

23. Alignment
Be consistent in your communication, consistent messages leads to trust
When your actions aren’t aligned with your beliefs:
cognitive dissonance

24. Arousal
Sexy door-to-door salesperson can trick you into the
consistency principle
Not Ethical !

25. Association
Pavlov : sound = food

26. Assumption
Leader with a vision: act like if it was true until it becomes
real

27. Daring
‘I dare you
to do this’
Refuse
No reward
I’m a
coward
I’m
inconsistent
Accept
Maybe a
reward
I’m not a
coward
I’m
consistent
Dare somebody to do something in presence of a good
looking member of the opposite sex works very well:

28. Daring (cont)
How to convince a:
Complainer
Risk taker
Extravert

29. Fragmentation
Divide you main goal in smaller goals,
Create a momentum towards it.
Story of man crossing the South Pole ‘my next
goal is to go to this mountain top’

30. Harmony
As human beings, we like harmony
Negotiation : find little points of agreement to create consensus
Don’t go against the flow (also social proof)

31. Ownership
We tend to value something more when we own it
Marketing : Part of identity : you + object = 1
Apple (defend product very hard = ‘fanboy’ behavior)
Auctions : Feeling of ownership: we feel like we already own the
object, we don’t let go. Loss of rationality

32. Persistence
Using same technique over and over:
The ennemy gets weaker everytime.
Ex: Child with mom grocery shopping
‘If it the front door is closed : use the back door. If the back door is
closed : use a ladder’

33. Social Proof

34. Social Proof
Highway: one line might be very long while the other one is empty
‘they might know something that I don’t know’

35. Social Proof
Sales : Amazon.com : ratings from other users : gives more credit
We tend to like what other people like
Entertainment: laugh tracks

36. Social Proof (bystander effect)
Kitty Genovese story: killed while 38 people were watching, noone
called 911 because everyone thought someone else would do it

37. Asch’s experience
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2vf3u_asch-experience_tech
Asch Principle : We’re influenced by other peoples opinion even when
we know we’re right.

38. If we see only this infographic we may tend to think that climate change
is really not happening. But were all these scientists asked about the
subject?
Amplification
Not Ethical !!!

39. Authority

40. Authority
We’re taught to always listen to authority (parents, teacher, police…)
Milgram experiment

42. Evidence
Not Ethical !
Listen to the credibility of the messenger rather than the credibility of
the message

43. Scarcity

44. Scarcity (booking.com)

45. Scarcity (H&M)
Constantly sell a new collection

46. Scarcity (cont)
Diamond market: The De Beer family buys a lot of diamonds to keep
the market in scarcity and thus high selling prices.

47. Exclusivity
Information that is exclusive is better valued

48. Scarcity (exp)
The last biscuit is valued more than the first ones

49. Appeal
Talk to people’s ‘good side’
Charities: how can you say no?

50. Closure
The mental experience of relief after a period of tension.
Buy a product during shopping
Saying ‘yes’ during a negotiation
‘Aha feeling’ after discovey
Project management : needs closure
Burrying : closure of life.
Can be dangerous : addictive : look for tension to be relieved.

51. Deception
Not Ethical !
Usually people trust others : The other person can’t know that you’re
lying. (trust principle)
Good lie : persuade yourself: you have to embody the lie.
Also: even better: group lie: the bigger it is, the more we tend to
believe it.

52. Deceipt (Body Language)
Beware of body language. You can catch signals of deceipt:
Hand to head gestures
mouth cover
nose touch
ear grab
eye rub
(Among many others)

53. Passion
Be passionate about what you do !!
Salesperson : believe in your product, embody it, talk about with
passion.
Don’t talk negatively about the opponent’s product but defend yours
/ Trash talk between can aslo create a story for your company
Enthousiasm is communicative: smile leads to other smiles

54. Substitution
Create a story so that the
other customer can identify
himself in it. Be a lovemark !
Inspire yourself from chefs:
they share their recipes and
don’t feel threatened bw
copycats.
Read it, its’ good

55. Uncertainty
When in situtation of uncertainty : you tend to use three principles
Social proof: you copy other people’s behavior
Scarcity: uncertainty about the future
Authority: you do what you’re told to

56. Miscelleanous

57. Distraction

58. Credits
Bernhard Baumgartner
bbaumgartner88@gmail.com
Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University
David Straker from www.changingminds.org
Allan & Barbara Pease
Malcolm Gladwell
John Kotter
37 Signals
Randy Pausch
And many more