The Science of Persuasion
From encouraging your friends to meet at your favourite bar to asking for a pay rise, persuading someone to accept your point of view can be a tricky task.
Now experts have revealed five tricks to always getting your own way.
The ideas come from famous philosophers such as Blaise Pascal and are combined with modern techniques in psychology – and they could be all you need to change someone’s mind.
1. TELL SOMEONE THE WAYS THEY ARE RIGHT
In the 17th century, French philosopher Blaise Pascal said the trick to persuading others is simple; the most effective way to change someone’s mind before disagreeing with them is by pointing out the ways they are right.
Robert Cialdini, a psychology professor at Arizona State University told MailOnline this still holds true.
‘By initially describing areas of agreement with another’s position, the communicator comes to be seen as a more reasonable and likable individual, thereby increasing his or her persuasiveness,’ Professor Cialdini said.
‘By pointing out the ways in which someone is right, you might enhance your position as a credible interlocutor,’ Dr. Adam Harris, lecturer in experimental psychology at University College London told MailOnline.
This is because of something is known as the backfire effect – which means when someone’s deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, your beliefs actually get stronger.
2. MAKE SOMEONE DISCOVER YOUR POINT OF VIEW THEMSELVES
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Pascal also argued ‘people are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.’
‘It is true that people are more convinced by their own thinking than by the persuasive assertions of others,’ Professor Cialdini said.
‘Socrates pioneered this approach.
‘He was famous for persuading others to come into line with his thinking by simply asking them questions.
‘It was those answers that created significant change because they came from inside his audience, not from Socrates himself.
But, in modern society, the reality is not always that simple, others have argued.
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