Robert Cialdini is most known for his popular book, The Psychology of Influence and Persuasion. According to Dr. Cialdini, when influence is employed correctly, it efficiently moves people in positive directions. Those who wish to create and sustain positive change in others need to understand how the influence process works.
Here is a list of his Six Weapons of Influence:

Reciprocity – This principle basically defines the human need and tendency to want to give something back when something is received. People tend to return a favor.

Commitment and Consistency – If people commit, orally or in writing, to an idea or goal, …read more

Today is the first day of a week long youth convention called Compassion Commission. More than 200 young people are coming to Baltimore, Maryland to help rebuild a home. By the end of the week on Saturday, July 11th, they will have the house complete and the keys will be given to a family who has never owned a home before. This is the 7th year for Compassion Commission and this is the 7th home given away. In the streets of Baltimore, like many other cities, kids are killing kids, kids are getting pregnant or strung out on drugs. These …read more

“I’m not a doctor but I play one on TV.” You know the ads.  Even though we know this person isn’t a doctor, we tend to listen to him or her.  Even House (Hugh Laurie) who doesn’t wear a white coat, is seen as an authority on all things medical.  People tend to believe authorities. And they will listen to you if they perceive you to be an authority in your field.
The power of authority is one of the strongest influencers. People have been known to do horrible things if directed to do so by an authority.  In a classic …read more

Desperate times mean that people are desperate.  And desperate times also bring out the people who prey on those desperate people.  Pyramid scheme offers are increasing, as Sandy Mitchell writes, even with the huge amount of publicity for the Bernard Madoff scam.  Work from home / home business opportunity scams are also coming out of the proverbial woodwork.  How do you know if the offer is legitimate or a scam?  The best people to ask are the folks at Undress4Success.com.  They have a great blog that helps you sort out the claims.
Undress4Success says you can spot a scam by looking …read more

Being able to influence people is not critical for all jobs but it is for some and it certainly never hurts.  Influencing people is sort of an art.  It’s about knowing how identify the effective way to speak to all kinds of people on their particular level to gain support, rather than using a one-size-fits-all delivery.  If you are assessing a candidate’s ability to influence in a behavioral interview, start by explaining the concept to them.
Here’s one example of how you could do that.
Influencing is the ability to persuade and enlist others support in accomplishing your objectives.  To sell your ideas …read more

What are Principles of Influence and Persuasion? Before I answer my own question, let me share that I will be discussing these principles throughout the month of February. This is a short month, but there is a lot of good stuff you can take from these principles to help in your job search, on the job, and in your life.
Robert Cialdini is most known for his popular book, The Psychology of Influence and Persuasion. According to Dr. Cialdini, when influence is employed correctly, it efficiently moves people in positive directions. Those who wish to …read more

People do business with people they like. “People are easily persuaded by other people that they like. Robert Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing.” People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. If this statement is true, than it is VERY important for you as a jobseeker to be likable – you are the product.

If a hiring manager has two qualified candidates, 90%-100% of the time, they will select the person they connected with in the interview. Typically, the person they liked best.
Here are a …read more