Influence

My students have often thanked me for assigning this book.

After reading the chapter on “Commitment,” one remarked excitedly: “I finally understand my mother!” Bob Cialdini is a social psychologist whose principles of social influence have helped generations of readers learn how to move people in their direction. 

The task of leadership is to create a better future; it is a social influence process that engages hearts and minds. 

This book isn’t standard in any disaster risk management curriculum, but it should be.

Risk communication is perhaps the most challenging part of what we do as disaster risk managers, and this book offers several unique gems. This book was written for advertisers, but we have to remember that risk communication is, at its core, a ‘marketing’ effort focused on influencing human behavior.

This book explains how people process the information they receive in unexpected ways and provides several methods (and tricks) that risk communication professionals can use to make their risk communication more effective.

Cialdini’s Influence is a classic, but still highly relevant and the book ages well.

This “bible of persuasion” is practical, entertaining, and backed by hard science. You will learn about different strategies or principles of influence and how to use them to persuade your partner, customer, or supplier – or, perhaps more importantly; how to defend yourself against cunning influence attempts.

Although not quite updated on all the dark mechanics of modern social media, AI, and tech, the book is a light and enjoyable “must-read” for everybody curious about the mechanics of persuasion.  

This book is a classic in the field of persuasion and influence and it is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their ability to influence customers in a business setting.

The book provides a comprehensive understanding of the psychological principles of persuasion and how they can be applied in a business context. It covers topics such as social proof, authority, scarcity, liking, consistency, and commitment. Each principle is explained in detail with practical applications that can be used in a business setting. The principles discussed in the book are based on decades of research and experiments, making it an… show more.

Cialdini shines the light on evidence-based persuasion principles on their application by real-world influencers—many of which he observed when going undercover. Once we understand the power of reciprocation, of commitment, of social proof, of liking, of authority, and of scarcity, we will better understand both how to ethically apply these persuasive powers, and how to resist those who would use them to manipulate us. Cialdini’s gift for engrossing storytelling further explains what has made this book a multi-million copy best-seller.

This was an early work that defined my own studies into recognising scams. Cialdini spent considerable time studying why he was getting “persuaded” to buy more stuff—even when he was trying to just return what he didn't want. It took him several years to compile the data. And oddly, it was certain scammers that recommend reading his book to be able to increase their sales. Once I read it, I kept referring to it as I dug out from my own expensive victimhood. It's been reprinted in several editions—so you should definitely have a copy to… show more.

This book, more than any other, inspired me to study the fascinating topic of persuasion. It not only helped me understand and defend myself against some of sneakiest tactics used by persuasion tricksters, it guided my thinking about what it means to be an ethical influencer. It is also chock full of “real life” examples, which makes it highly readable.

In Influence, Robert Cialdini pioneered the popularization of psychological and behavioral principles that are practical and can be easily applied for marketers. It breaks down human behavior into 6 key principles of influence (and, more recently 7, in his updated version). It details why we as humans decide to say "yes" when prompted with an ask or decide to take a specific action that is directly applicable in our everyday work as experimenters. 

With the rise of the internet and social media, it’s become obvious that people are born vulnerable to persuasion because we’re hard-wired to cooperate in social groups.  In fact, we depend upon others for our understanding of reality. This book helped me spot the different ways that people try to influence others through what they say and do. When I was seeking to be a more effective communicator, I found this book valuable because it gives names for the fundamental persuasive techniques that I use every day, at home, in the workplace, and in daily life. But what I love… show more.

Cialdini’s landmark book was among the first to explore the psychological factors that affect how people make decisions. Rather than using a rational process, people most often decide what to do, how to act, or what to believe based on rules of thumb and decision-making shortcuts including reciprocity, scarcity, authority, commitment and consistency, liking, and consensus or social proof. Although these factors can lead to unethical forms of influence, such as manipulation, it is important to understand the psychological bases of decision making, whether you are trying to influence others ethically or trying to resist unsavory attempts by others to… show more.