The Art of Pre-Suasion

A great book that I recently picked up for the second time is "Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade" by Dr. Robert Cialdini. To understand how to get people in a position to be receptive to your message before you speak is an invaluable asset to have regardless of professional pursuit. To achieve persuasion, you must first start with pre-suasion.

As Cialdini puts it, we must look at the message we are trying to convey as a seed. If you were to plant a seed, wouldn’t you want it to have the best chance of growing and succeeding? That would depend on the quality of the soil which is reliant on how much you work and prepare it for planting. The soil is your audience and it is essential to make your audience capable and susceptible to success before you plant the seed.

Dr. Cialdini covers 30 principles in this book that are key to achieving success in this domain. The important ones to highlight are establishing trust, unitary focus, word associations, and the power of mystery. By using these strategies in communicating, you are significantly closer to achieving the outcome you want.

A great read that is cross applicable to any industry or interest!