Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request) and is written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research. Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and other positions, inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say "yes." Widely used in graduate and undergraduate psychology and management classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion. Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. New Reader's Reports are included in the Fourth Edition and illustrate how readers have used one of the principles or have had a principle of influence used on them.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Here's what people are saying about the material in INFLUENCE: Science and Practice:
“This marvelous book explains in clear, practical language the ways in which we become persuaded. It offers excellent insights for those who sell, but even more importantly for all of us who negotiate and buy.” —ROGER FISHER, Director, Harvard Negotiation Project, Co-author of “Getting to Yes.”
“For marketers, it is among the most important books written in the last 10 years.” —JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH
“The best sales tip I ever got was encouragement to read INFLUENCE by Dr. Robert Cialdini. It was so profound and insightful, I read it three times in a row.” —GREG RENKER, President, Guthy-Renker
“It would be marvelous reading for students taking Social Psychology.” —DAVID MYERS, Hope College
“The book is tremendously entertaining and very popular with students. It makes excellent reading for a Consumer Behavior or Advertising class.” —ALAN J. RESNIK, Portland State University
“INFLUENCE should be required reading for all business majors.” —JOURNAL OF RETAILING
From the Publisher
FEATURES:
• Engaging writing style with amusing anecdotes.
• Includes citations from both recent and classic research.
• Describes how to resist unwanted influence attempts.
• Well known and influential author speaks frequently on “The Power of Ethical Influence” to such organizations as IBM, the Mayo Clinic, and NATO.
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
• New reports from readers illustrate how a principle has worked on or for them.
• Additional examples from current events illustrate psychological research, such as holiday gift crazes for Beanie Babies, Furbies, and Pokemon; the Columbine High School shootings; and the FBI's decision to attack Branch Davidian headquarters in Waco, Texas.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
320 of 323 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Right away, buyers should know that Cialdini has produced a less-expensive version of this book. "Influence: Science and Practice" is designed as a textbook for classroom instruction. So, it has things like chapter summaries and questions that can be assigned as homework. However, the other book "Influence: the psychology of persuasion," is designed for a more general audience. The content is basically the same, but it omits the classroom-oriented layout. It's also cheaper. If you are a student who is buying textbooks online, this is probably what you (or rather, your professors) want. If not, get the other one.
Both books focus on persuasive tactics. This is not a theoretical work trying to lay out a strategy of communication, like "Getting to Yes." This is a toolkit, designed to give the reader a selection of tools for specific circumstances. That is not to say that Cialdini lacks an understanding of more strategic thinking, just that it isn't the focus here.
The underlying theory is that people tend to be hardwired to respond to certain stimuli in predictable ways. The book tells you what those stimuli are, that is, how to push people's buttons. And it does a very good job, which is why Cialdini has demand for two versions of the same book.
I'm not going to list all of the tactics because the table of contents does that and, because they're detailed, they're difficult to understand without reading the book. But, they all have some basis in science and their effectiveness is empirically demonstrable, so you can trust that they work. The best part of this book, for me, was becoming more conscious of how others, including politicians, advertisers, and bosses, try to manipulate me. Cialdini deserves respect just for opening people's eyes, but he goes a step further by explaining ways to deal with the constant manipulation that is inherent in human communication.
The only problems I see are that the textbook version (this one) has a better index in the editions I compared, so it makes a better reference tool and that the book is written from an American cultural perspective. That's fine, as most of his audience is American, but, and this is my M.A. in Int'l Relations talking, I wonder how well some of these tactics would be recieved by people from other cultural backgrounds. In particular, notions of authority (which constitute a chapter) vary widely. Just a heads up. This is still a "must read" for people who want to know how to persuade or protect themselves against other's persuasion.
Both books focus on persuasive tactics. This is not a theoretical work trying to lay out a strategy of communication, like "Getting to Yes." This is a toolkit, designed to give the reader a selection of tools for specific circumstances. That is not to say that Cialdini lacks an understanding of more strategic thinking, just that it isn't the focus here.
The underlying theory is that people tend to be hardwired to respond to certain stimuli in predictable ways. The book tells you what those stimuli are, that is, how to push people's buttons. And it does a very good job, which is why Cialdini has demand for two versions of the same book.
I'm not going to list all of the tactics because the table of contents does that and, because they're detailed, they're difficult to understand without reading the book. But, they all have some basis in science and their effectiveness is empirically demonstrable, so you can trust that they work. The best part of this book, for me, was becoming more conscious of how others, including politicians, advertisers, and bosses, try to manipulate me. Cialdini deserves respect just for opening people's eyes, but he goes a step further by explaining ways to deal with the constant manipulation that is inherent in human communication.
The only problems I see are that the textbook version (this one) has a better index in the editions I compared, so it makes a better reference tool and that the book is written from an American cultural perspective. That's fine, as most of his audience is American, but, and this is my M.A. in Int'l Relations talking, I wonder how well some of these tactics would be recieved by people from other cultural backgrounds. In particular, notions of authority (which constitute a chapter) vary widely. Just a heads up. This is still a "must read" for people who want to know how to persuade or protect themselves against other's persuasion.
50 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I disagree with the complaints about this being a repeat of earlier versions. "4th Edition" is quite clear. This is an updated easy to read version of a highly-regarded seminal work whose value has been proven over time.
While intended for students of psychology and for practitioners of the black art of marketing (selling over-priced unnecessary "stuff" to the unwitting), I regard this text as a very helpful reference for the new warriors, the practitoners of Information Operations and within that larger discipline, Strategic Communication & Public Diplomacy.
The six "principles" of influence, reciprocation, consistency, social proof (e.g. canned laughter), liking, authority, and scarcity, each receive their own chapter with annedotes and study questions.
Most interesting to me would be an international variation of this book, one that discussed the nuances of influence in other cultures, inclusive of family ties and prevalent sterotypes.
This book is applicable to business, evangelism, foreign affairs, defense, homeland security, and just about any field where interaction with humans is called for, and the mission demands the elicitation of collaborative behavior from others.
Good index, notes, and illustrations. Well-presented.
While intended for students of psychology and for practitioners of the black art of marketing (selling over-priced unnecessary "stuff" to the unwitting), I regard this text as a very helpful reference for the new warriors, the practitoners of Information Operations and within that larger discipline, Strategic Communication & Public Diplomacy.
The six "principles" of influence, reciprocation, consistency, social proof (e.g. canned laughter), liking, authority, and scarcity, each receive their own chapter with annedotes and study questions.
Most interesting to me would be an international variation of this book, one that discussed the nuances of influence in other cultures, inclusive of family ties and prevalent sterotypes.
This book is applicable to business, evangelism, foreign affairs, defense, homeland security, and just about any field where interaction with humans is called for, and the mission demands the elicitation of collaborative behavior from others.
Good index, notes, and illustrations. Well-presented.
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've reviewed many books on influence and persuasion and this is one of the top books in the category. Easy to read, excellent writing style, it is a hard book to put down and begs you to read it slowly so that you don't miss something important. One of the fun things about reading it is when the author makes a point and you can look back and realize that you have dealt with someone who used just that technique to get you to buy that candy bar, car, or change your mind about something.
Persuasive speaking is an important part of what I do and I am very successful at it. The ability to persuade others has been very hard to pass on to employees and other speakers who have asked me how I do it. This book allowed me to look at what I do and see how I can transfer that ability to others. It has also helped me see some of the tricks of persuasion that snare the unwary and how they are used by unscrupulous people.
Cialdini not only makes his case by carefully presenting the techniques and the experiments on which they are based, but also details how they are used and how you can use them. For each technique he also indicates how to know when it is being used against you and how to resist the influence.
A highly recommended book and one of the best on this subject, Cialdini's work is often quoted in other books on influence and persuasion.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
influence
if you are looking for something to tell you how to deal with people and maybe even get them to help you with something... checkout this book. Read more
Published 11 months ago by T. Schisel
Cool Book
Was very interesting that we are influenced by so many things. The chapter about emergencies was very informative and I've used some of the other techniques to interact with sales... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Sunshinbb
Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition)
I'm pretty happy with the item and the seller. Prompt, as described, easy :) Thank you!
Published on February 14, 2010 by S. Kushnareva
AMAZING! Outstanding text. A must read!
Cialdini has done it! A great text that should be read by all. Study this book and never get ripped off again - understand how the sales techniques that are cast against the... Read more
Published on October 12, 2009 by Lit Master
Hang onto your wallet.
I came across this book as one of Charlie Mungers top 25 most recommended books, and it did not disappoint. Read more
Published on July 12, 2009 by Dextra L. Suggs
Great easy reading.
The book is very infomartive and is a great easy read. If I had not need it for class I would not have known it existed. I normally sale my books back, but NOT this time.
Published on November 16, 2008 by P.R. Always
Seven good ideas over-worked poorly presented
I did not buy the book to find out how to schnook the unsuspecting, but that's pretty much what I learned. Or learned a -bit- of. Read more
Published on June 29, 2008 by Rodger Garrett
Science of Compliance - Extremely Important and Useful Book
This is one of my favorite social psychology books. It is about compliance. It is about influencing others. Read more
Published on June 20, 2008 by William J. Romanos
This is it! - The Real Deal!
I can't even begin to tell you how many books I have read on the subject of "influence". I have been sorely disappointed by all of them. Read more
Published on June 16, 2008 by The Philosopher
For Professionals, lawyers, and Doctors who need to learn persuasion...
I am a professional in the sales and marketing fields. I suggest that if you have no sales back ground and need to learn to be persuasive like a doctor, lawyer, or a speaker, this... Read more
Published on June 15, 2008 by D. Andjelic
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
I got a phone call one day from a friend who had recently opened an Indian jewelry store in Arizona. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
I got a phone call one day from a friend who had recently opened an Indian jewelry store in Arizona. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
100
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