Episode 200: Robert Cialdini
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The Golden Age of Persuasion
Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career conducting scientific research on what leads people to say “Yes” to requests and appeals. The results of his research, his ensuing articles, and New York Times bestselling books have earned him an acclaimed reputation as a respected scientist and engaging storyteller.
His books, including “Influence” and “Pre-Suasion,” have sold more than 7-million copies in 44 different languages. Robert is also the Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.
In this episode, Robert joins Greg to talk about what's changed in the 30 years between his published books; authority & credibility; the predominance of fear in our culture; and how they each teach ethics in their business courses.
Episode Quotes:
What is the importance of social scientists observing phenomena in the field?
6:49: I think it's crucially important for a couple of reasons. One is in the laboratory; we control or eliminate all sources that may affect our data except the ones that we are studying. That's what we try to do. Those may be the things that exist in the natural environment that could influence the effects, but we don't register their influence because we've eliminated them in the hothouse of the experimental lab. So, that's one thing. The other is we can see the power of the effects that we find in the field because if they are successful, they have overcome all of this myriad of other influences that are working on people—making decisions, making choices, in everyday situations to transcend all that ground noise that's going on, that could otherwise eliminate the effect if the effect wasn't strong enough to overpower those influences.
How can we manage the constant barrage of appeals for our attention?
26:50: There's one strategy that is the most powerful in rebalancing the scales against the larger impact that a salient argument has. And that is to consider the opposite.
Influence as a leadership tool
47:22: For leadership, you want influence in the long term. You want to create an aura that allows people to feel comfortable moving in your direction, even though they don't have to make a purchase or anything, but they're willing to go along with your preferences because you've established yourself as a credible source of authority for them.
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