hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 15 persuasion tricks that you
should watch out for now let's begin number one underhanded friendship recently a social
psychologist named Robert seal Dini developed a theory that changed the way we look at persuasion
he defined the principles of persuasion which outlines some of the most common ways we influence
other people but what's really interesting is that most of them don't fit the usual stereotype
when you think about persuasive tactics Oh what do you imagine probably something clever tricky and
manipulative but Co Dini shows us a different side of being persuasive he claims that it's not about
outsmarting the other person it's about changing the dynamic of your relationship friendship is
a great example let's say you're looking to buy a car your salesman might spend the first 15 minutes
talking about anything but the car itself they might tell you some jokes they might try to bond
with you but they don't really want to be your friend they're trying to have a bigger influence
on your decision that's why perceived friendship is the first of the principles of persuasion you
believe in your friends you assume they've got your best interests in mind so the next time
someone gets a little too friendly just make sure they aren't trying to sway your decision
number two false limitations most of us encounter this next principle of persuasion on a daily
basis it's called scarcity essentially you change people's minds by making something sound more rare
than it actually is you make them think it's going to run out so it becomes more valuable just think
about those limited edition shoes or electronics most of the time they're not any better than the
original but they're rare so customers will do anything to get one businesses use this trick
all the time so don't fall for it just because something is limited that doesn't mean it's worth
buy number three misleading opinions conformity has a powerful effect on our behavior when you
see others acting a certain way well you feel compelled to follow in their footsteps you rely
on the world to show you what's right and wrong but sometimes you rely on the world too much you
might even ignore your better judgement just to fit in seal Deenie calls this persuasive tool
consensus but it was discovered long before he developed his principles of persuasion in 1935
a psychologist named Solomon Asch conducted a series of conformity experiments the premise
was really simple would participants abandon their logic in favor of social conformity in other words
would they choose the wrong answer if that's what everyone else was doing it turns out conformity
plays a huge role in our decision-making while less than 1% of participants got the answer
wrong when they were alone over 75 percent of participants picked the wrong answer at least
once in a group setting so what is this research tell us if everyone else is doing something that
doesn't mean you should too number four calculated concessions just because you think you're winning
an argument that doesn't mean you actually are this is a really easy way to persuade people
without them noticing all you have to do is make a few small concessions just give up on some things
you don't care about then when the other person feels like they're winning push the one thing
that you actually want they'll think it's too good to be true but in reality it's not this
technique works wonders during any negotiation so be aware of it if you're in one number-five
persuasive language the most persuasive people infuse their argument into their language they
purposely choose words and phrases that nudge you in a specific direction because a single word can
completely transform your opinion of something okay if I told you I'm selling a couch what would
you think hmm probably not much but if I say I'm selling the comfiest couch that you'll ever sit on
wouldn't that change your mind suddenly you have a different mental image of that couch in your
head so when you sit down you'll get more excited about how comfortable it is not because the couch
is any different but because my language affects the way you think one or two descriptors can turn
a positive into a negative they can soften a blow and they can make something much more dramatic
than it actually is so pay attention to the language people use because one word can make all
the difference number six imaginary competition it's not one of the principles of persuasion but
imaginary competition is a very effective trick in fact seal Dini himself used this strategy to get
an entire community to use less power all he did was hang signs on people's doors each sign showed
how that houses energy usage compared to the rest of the neighborhood now obviously no one wanted
to be in last place so people started using less water they paid more attention to their lights the
whole community started saving energy all because of a little competition now while this experiment
was for a good cause not everyone has the best intentions if someone pushes you into a pointless
competition you don't have to play their game number seven ridiculous hypotheticals persuasive
people will make you question your own beliefs they'll twist your points into something that
sounds ridiculous and absurd crazy hypotheticals do exactly that they take your opinions and blow
them up into some exaggerated scenario suddenly you'll feel bad for believing in it you might
even start rethinking your sign but here's the problem with crazy suppositions they're just that
they're crazy most of the time they're not only impossible they also just don't make any sense
they're just there to get you riled up so don't let some ridiculous hypothetical get the best
of you number eight illusion of Education there's a very thin line between education and persuasion
many people will change the way they say things to push you in one direction or another now on the
surface it seems like they're trying to teach you some new information but under all those facts and
figures they might be hiding something number nine manipulative mirroring persuasive people
use small changes in their body language to adjust your opinion of them they might for example mirror
your movements to seem more likable when you take a drink they take a drink when you smile they
smile and before you know it you'll feel closer to them without ever understanding why number ten
loaded favors reciprocity is an extremely common persuasive tool okay let's say someone helps you
move out of your apartment if they have to move a couple of weeks later they might expect you
to return the favor and hey you probably will normally this is just called being polite but
some persuasive people use reciprocity for their own personal gain they'll go out of their way to
do favors for you because they want you to owe them one and that way when they need something
you'll feel compelled to say yes number eleven fast-talking a 2011 study found that people who
talk faster are more persuasive in the context of a casual conversation fast talking makes you
sound more relatable and more convincing a faster pace shows people that you know your stuff while
slowing down makes you seem confused or uncertain so pay attention to the speed of someone's voice
because you might catch them trying to trick you number 12 behavioural constancy a persuasive
person will use your own habits against you they'll trick you into doing something simply
because it fits your character it's no surprise that people like consistency that's why it's one
of seal Dinis principles of persuasion you're more motivated to do something if it falls in
line with your normal patterns and beliefs no one wants to break the cycle or defy their own
personality but if you're not careful someone might take advantage of your consistency number
thirteen claiming expertise the next principle of persuasion is Authority when you put yourself in a
position of power your opinion naturally carries more weight so if you act like you're an expert
people will find you more convincing they'll assume that you're dead-on without ever bothering
to think it through but a little authority doesn't turn a wrong idea into a right one so don't let a
fancy title pull the wool over your eyes number 14 turning the tables when someone wants to
make a good first impression they might trick you into telling them how imagine you're interviewing
someone for a job you ask them why they're qualified for this position instead of answering
they say something like I think there are a number of different reasons but I'm interested in why you
decided to bring me in suddenly the tables have turned now the pressure is on you to explain
to them why you want to hire them and once that happens you've basically done the hard work them
number 15 the kind command this one is a pretty subtle trick it uses a combination of control
and kindness to nudge people one way or the other let's say you're walking past a fundraiser when
someone shouts come on down and give us a hand it sounds like they're asking for help right and
it's obviously for a good cause so you decide to volunteer for a few hours but did they actually
ask you if you wanted to help or did they just tell you these kinds of orders are very effective
because you can boss people around without them realizing it yeah it might feel like a gentle
nudge but it still has the force of a firm command so don't let the tone of their voice or the smile
on their face fool you an order is an order no matter how good nature it sounds hey thank you
for watching top think and be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way you