hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 17 psychology tricks
to persuade anyone now let's begin number one directed familiarity
magicians persuade people for a living they use calculated illusions
to create predictable scenarios but they do it without anyone's knowledge so what can we
learn from these masters of persuasion there's a famous card trick that uses a psychological trick
to influence another person's decision in this trick the magician flips through a deck of cards
they ask the participant to spot a card and they hold that mystery card in their mind
but the magician has a secret as the magician flips through the deck they linger for a moment
longer on one specific card most of the time that card's the one their participant chooses
so why does this card trick work well our brains favor things we see for longer periods of time
time creates familiarity and familiarity creates preference because we're the most familiar with
the specific card then we're more likely to make a predictable choice now some people argue that
tricks like these are manipulative but there's a big difference between manipulation and persuasion
persuasion is a pro-social behavior that guides the recipient toward a specific decision
manipulation on the other hand takes advantage of another person by controlling or restricting their
choices manipulative tactics are unfair and cruel but persuasion no matter how you slice it is an
essential skill number two provocative phrasing if you want to persuade other people language is your
most powerful tool the right phrases can generate interest attract attention and persuade anyone
of just about anything all right let's say you want to sell yourself during a job interview you
want to convince the interviewer to hire you so what words create the most persuasive impression
many people choose safe familiar phrases they describe themselves as reliable and
hard-working people do want to hire someone they can depend on but this language is stale
and common instead try using language that does two things it shows confidence and it stimulates
an emotional reaction for example you're not just reliable you're devoted and decisive
you're not just hard working you're tenacious and you grab life by the horns just a small change in
language can leave a lasting impact so make sure you sell yourself the way you deserve to be sold
number three negative interest there are two kinds of persuasive interests
in the last example we used confident language to create positive interest but you can also
use disparaging language to create negative interest negative interest undermines the quality
usefulness or credibility of a product or idea to build negative interest you can use buzzwords like
dangerous and untrustworthy when people feel unsafe or threatened they run for the hills
use your persuasive language wisely so whether you're creating positive or negative interests
there's a fine line between persuasive phrasing and deception the most persuasive people build up
and tear down their ideas without ever bending the truth my point is you don't have to lie to
get your point across just take what's already there and sell it like there's no tomorrow
number four the curiosity gap mystery gives you persuasive power because mystery inspires people
to find out more this creates something called a curiosity gap curiosity gaps the difference
between what you know and what you want to know by using this gap to your advantage
you put enough cards on the table to maintain interest but not enough to give yourself away
number five foundational repetition repetition affects almost every aspect of our lives
it's how we learn it's how we form new habits and it makes any idea significantly more persuasive
the first time you make an offer it might not capture someone's attention maybe it's
bad timing maybe the recipient just doesn't like your idea at first but if you're persistent your
offer becomes more familiar and the recipient's opinion gradually changes and eventually you'll
catch them at the perfect moment and all that repetition will finally pay off number six
perceived rarity rarity is every salesman's best friend when something becomes limited or exclusive
people show greater levels of interest so to be more persuasive increase the rarity of whatever
you're selling all right what if your idea isn't all that rare or exclusive hey that's okay what
matters isn't the rarity of your product or idea it's the rarity that your customers perceive
so a good salesman might say this vacation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
this phrase grabs your attention because suddenly you're looking at a life-changing decision
if you say no you might be missing an amazing opportunity no one wants to pass up something
rare or unique because everyone no matter who you're marketing to is afraid of missing out
number seven increase the pressure have you ever had a conversation with someone who's taking notes
it puts a lot of pressure on you doesn't it suddenly you're in the hot seat you
start second guessing the things you say because taking notes raises the stakes
people get nervous when you increase the pressure they become less decisive and less confident which
gives you power in the conversation number eight strike a balance is it better to focus on the pros
or the cons well the answer seems pretty obvious right why would you talk about your weaknesses
when you can talk about your strengths the truth is the most persuasive approach isn't 100
positive or 100 negative it's somewhere in the middle so to be more persuasive
find a balance between strengths and weaknesses because you can have too much of a good thing
if you're overwhelmingly positive people are going to get suspicious they're going to doubt
your credibility even though you didn't say anything wrong their trust in you may waiver so
reinforce your own credibility by admitting a few weaknesses just tell people that your idea isn't
perfect this shows humility and self-awareness which creates both trust and persuasive power
number nine the cutoff have you ever seen a commercial that suddenly cuts off advertisers
do this on purpose because unfinished things are more memorable your brain likes when things are
complete and resolved it gives you a sense of closure but when something's unfinished the idea
sticks in your memory your brain gets frustrated and that frustration captures your attention
number 10 personal connection if you want to make any pitch more persuasive then connect with your
audience tell them about your own experience with your idea or product explain how it personally
impacted you because people want a reason to care about and believe in you by sharing something from
your life your advice carries more weight number 11 top and bottom persuasion can be as simple as
ordering a list people pay the most attention to what comes first and what comes last
these two psychological biases are called the primacy effect and the recency effect
items at the top of any list make the strongest first impressions so they stay in your memory
items at the bottom of the list are the most recent so they feel familiar and persuasive
restaurants apply these persuasive tricks every day they place their best dishes at
the top and the bottom of their menus and that small change pushes your brain and your stomach
in the right direction number 12 express credibility what makes you more believable
than anyone else if you want to be persuasive you need to strengthen your credibility
do your research and give your ideas a sturdy backbone because your audience needs to believe
you know your stuff hey if they don't believe you your persuasive power flies out the window
number 13 create concentration persuasive people don't settle for the background the background is
forgettable so if you want to be persuasive you have to make yourself the center of attention
before you persuade anyone of anything you have to set the stage for your own success find ways to
guarantee one hundred percent of their attention make them concentrate on you because that
concentration gives you more power number fourteen self self-persuasion most of the time people don't
listen to anyone but themselves that's why great persuaders encourage people to argue against their
own opinions all right let's say someone's about to sabotage their success you want to nudge them
in the opposite direction so what should you say to change their mind ask questions like are you
sure that's a good idea these questions force the other person to open a dialogue with themselves
they begin rethinking through their own decisions and they may even change their mind
number 15 find a story every persuasive argument needs a story because stories
evoke emotional reactions people think persuasion's all about facts and figures
but the most logical arguments aren't always the most scientific powerful emotions can pull on the
heartstrings of any audience more often than not the heart speaks louder than the head so
if you want to be more persuasive get the heart on board with a good story number 16 even if formula
are there any stock phrases that you can use to make yourself more persuasive well the even if
formula offers a flexible structure that you can use in almost any scenario okay here's an example
this mattress will improve the quality of your sleep even if you have trouble sleeping here's
another one using this phrase can make you more persuasive even if you're not a persuasive person
you see this formula emphasizes your point while anticipating the reservations of your audience
in other words it's an argument and a rebuttal wrapped up into one powerful phrase number 17
concrete proof the word because is another phrase you can use in any context if you make a statement
follow your statement with the word because and then a piece of concrete proof alright let's try
an example you could say i am the best candidate for this job but why would anyone believe you
instead you should say i am the best candidate for this job because i have the most experience
now this time you gave them proof and that proof makes you much more convincing hey thank you for
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