Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

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This may seem like an unusual introduction for a book review. However, it helps to illustrate one of the many concepts discussed in the book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. In this fascinating and data-based book, Goldstein, Martin, and Cialdini, show that being persuasive is an art and a science. Thus, if you have ever wondered how to be more persuasive, you’ll want to buy the Yes! book.

As you might have guessed, the book is divided into 50 different sections. Each section illustrates one of the scientifically proven ways we can be more persuasive HR professionals.

In the first section, the book describes an intriguing example of persuasion that is familiar to all of us.

Collen Szot, a program writer, changed three words in a standard infomercial line that caused a huge increase in the number of people who purchased her products. Even more interesting, is that the three words conveyed to customers that ordering her products may be a bit of a hassle. So, what were these three words, and how did they increase sales? The magic words, “If operators are busy, please call again.” Previously, the words, “Operators are waiting, please call now” had been used.

It may seem like a very minor change, and one that would not have a very substantial impact on persuading people to purchase Ms. Szot’s products, but if we explore the concept used in this anecdote, we find that there is a social psychological concept at work here. It’s a concept known as “social proof.” Social proof is the tendency of people generally looking to others to guide their behavior. As HR professionals, we have all participated in “social proofing.” 

The HR professional often comes across applicants who are currently unemployed. When we notice this, we subconsciously have a tendency to think , “There must be something wrong with this applicant. Why has he/she gone so long without a job?” This is an example of “social proofing”, because we are looking to others (HR professionals) to assist us in determining whether or not the applicant will be the most qualified for the job.

In another example, the authors discuss another technique for persuading others. It’s through the use of testimonials.   

A testimony can be very persuasive. This is why you find organizational websites with videos of current employees expressing what a great place company ______ is to work. A testimony is another example of “social proofing” because it, like the previous example, sets out to use the actions of others to guide behavior. The more similar the person giving the testimony is to the targeted applicants the more persuasive the message becomes. Thus, if we are trying to persuade the most qualified job applicants, who may be mostly from Generation X, we are going to use the testimony of another Generational Xer to persuade them to submit an application.

We can also use testimonies when we need to introduce a new process or new policy. The smart HR professional would ask some of the employees that have already used the new process or agree with the new policy to give their testimony expressing the benefits they have experienced by using the new process or following the new policy. How many times have we as HR professionals stood before a group of employees and outlined a new policy and then can’t even get passed the first slide without being ambushed with a barrage of naysayers? An employee’s testimony will help convince the cynical employees.  In the end, we should use testimonies that convey, “If others like me have gotten good results by using this process or following this policy, then I will too.

In Chapter 25: “When Can the Right Way Be the Wrong Way?” The book describes a case study conducted by behavioral researcher Wendy Joung and her colleagues. They were interested in determining whether certain types of training programs would be more effective than others at minimizing errors in judgment on the job. To be more specific, they wanted to know if focusing on the past errors of others, or focusing on the good decisions made by others, would be more effective. 

The researchers decided that the best group to test their hypothesis on would be firefighters. One group of firefighters learned from case studies where the firefighters made poor decisions which led to negative consequences. The other group learned from cases studies where firefighters avoided negative consequences by making good decisions. Joung’s research found that firefighters who participated in the error-based training showed improved judgment and were better at thinking more adaptively than those who underwent the error-free training.

In most companies, the HR professional is in some way tasked with overseeing some sort of training. When we think about it, training is all about influencing others. Thus, if we want to maximize the effectiveness of a training program, then we need to include training that focuses on how others have made errors in the past and how those errors could have been avoided. 

Should the HR professional admit to mistakes they have made? According to social scientist Fiona Lee and her colleagues, the HR professional will be better off admitting ther mistakes. Once we have admitted our mistakes, we will put ourselves in a position of greater influence, because we will be perceived as not only capable, but also honest.

Fiona and her colleagues proved this by conducting a study in which the participants were given annual reports of two fictitious companies that had performed poorly. Half of    the participants were given an annual report that blamed internal (potentially controllable factors) for the poor performance. The other half was given an annual report that blamed external (uncontrollable) factors for the poor performance. When the participants from the first group (internal factors) were questioned about how they viewed the company, they viewed the company more positively on a number of different dimensions than the participants in the second group (external factors). Thus, if we ever find ourselves in a position where we, or our organization has failed in keeping our promise(s), it would be wise to blame the failures on internal rather than external factors.

I could go on and on about all the ways to be more persuasive—fifty to be exact. However, a summary of all these 50 scientifically-substantiated ways to be more persuasive would not do the book justice, because there are so many anecdotes that I would have to leave out that really add another dimension to the each of the persuasive techniques. 

After reading the book, I have found myself re-reading several of the chapters when I am faced with an opportunity as a HR professional to be more persuasive. It is definitely a book every HR professional should have. 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Robert Cialdini is the President and founder of Influence at Work. A professional resource and consulting firm dedicated to assisting individuals and organizations with strategies to improve performance by deploying ethical influence methodologies. Dr. Cialdini is also a Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University. In addition, he is the author of the bestseller Influence.