Robert Cialdini's 6 Laws of Influence

Let's face it, information and communication are the order of the day. News is no longer published daily and is released as it happens, updating automatically 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Among all this amount of information that is generated, societies are increasingly driven to improve in the noble art of oratory and persuasion. Either for conquer that person that we like so much or to win a general election. It is not on a whim In democratic societies, persuasion and mass influence are the most effective tools that we possess the people to get to power.

The importance of influencing and convincing others

Much has been said about the influence and the different ways to modify or change the behavior and attitudes of people and what is the best way to achieve it. But only a reputed American psychologist named Robert Cialdini, he has managed to discover what are the principles behind any type of persuasive strategy.

In his book "Influence, the psychology of persuasion", Cialdini

he postulates the 6 laws of influence that lie behind any attempt at persuasion, and are used to achieve receiver compliance.

The 6 laws of influence

We are going to know the different laws of influence that Cialdini describes in his book. A good opportunity to improve our communication skills and the ability to influence others.

1. Reciprocity law

is defined as the tendency to return the favor to someone who has done us a prior favor by creating a feeling of obligation. The feeling of being in debt to someone who has done something for us before, makes this person predisposed to accept our requests.

The most important thing for the success of this law is to always be the first to do the favor, the more valuable, personal and unexpected is what is given, the greater the feeling of favor, that he does not know that he is manipulating. For example, if you suddenly flatter someone and immediately ask a favor or if you make your parents breakfast and then ask them a favor, manipulation is very evident. You should not associate the delivery with the favor you ask, so do not wait until the last moment to create the feeling of obligation.

2. Law of commitment or consistency

This law states that people who have previously agreed to a small request are likely to finally agree to a larger request. By this law, the client agrees to our request to be consistent with a series of principles, values ​​and beliefs expressed in a previous commitment. The human tendency to be consistent with what we have already done, chosen or decided, makes that in case of breaking this consistency we feel cognitive dissonance that is expressed in the form of a feeling quite unpleasant for the being human.

For this reason, starting from small commitments, coherence is created with the issuer or the product and it will tend to be consistent with that commitment on the following occasions.

3. Law of social proof

This principle is based on the human tendency to consider that a behavior is correct when we see other people doing it or when other people think the same.

When we look carefully at the videos, songs or any content that is in the top 10 of a ranking of the best sellers, downloaded or listened to. When we see a crowd watching a street performance and we can't resist the temptation to see what happens. They are all samples of the law of social proof in action. Waiters who set out a tip jar know that if they initially put in a few bills or coins at the start of the night, they will receive more money in the end, as more people will think that tipping is the right behavior because “other people” have done it previously. "More than 2,000 people have already tried it" "more than 2,000 people are already partners" are common phrases known for their effect.

We already know why it is common to buy followers of new leaders and references who are launched into the power race, a greater number of followers, greater truth and appeal of the tweets of that person.

4. Authority law

People who rise higher in the hierarchies are credited with more knowledge and experience than the rest so that what they recommend or sell is good.

The most common example we see when large-scale events happen such as an earthquake, a new epidemic or a terrorist attack, we hope to hear the interpretation of world authorities such as the president of the United States, the Pope or a Nobel Prize Literature. This is a sign that for an idea or service to be accepted by a large number of people, it is only necessary to convince experts and people of high status.

5. Law of pleasure or social attractiveness

The law of pleasure tells us that we are more predisposed to being influenced by people we like, and less by people who cause us rejection, a simple logic but highly typical of our human condition. The physically attractive people other positive values ​​are often unconsciously attributed to them, such as honesty, transparency and success. However, attractiveness does not necessarily emanate from beauty, it can be due to familiarity, similarity of opinions and belonging groups or the effect of praise.

The success of Nespresso's advertising campaigns in incorporating George Clooney's face as a brand image is now understood, right?

6. Law of scarcity

Surely you are familiar with the posters such as "limited time offer", "latest articles", "run, they fly"... All these phrases and slogans are based on the principle of scarcity. By this principle, we are more willing to approach something if we notice that it is scarce or difficult to obtain.

Now that you know the six forms of persuasion most accepted by the scientific community today, you will be able to easily detect when you are under the influence of one of them and, why not, use them for your noble causes.