Influence: Science and Practice (Paperback)

by Robert B. Cialdini (Author)

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

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
Narrative writing is combined with scholarly ideas in this examination of the psychology of compliance (ie uncovering which factors cause one person to say "yes" to another's request). By combining evidence from two relevant, but very different arenas - the realm of controlled research and the working world of influence professionals - this book looks at this issue in terms of six basic principles of psychology (one to a chapter). These principles direct human behaviour, and are therefore extremely powerful: reciprocation, consistency, social validation, liking, authority and scarcity. This text is a supplement for courses in introductor psychology, social psychology, management, sales, marketing and persuasion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 253 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 3rd edition (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0673467511
• ISBN-13: 978-0673467515
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #902,868 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

176 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good guide to the tactics of persuasion., September 15, 2005

By	J. Hoelscher "debater7" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition) (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.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars US-Oriented, Excellent Starting Point, Six Key Methods, October 20, 2005

By	Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition) (Paperback)

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.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best on this subject, April 12, 2002

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Influence: Science and Practice (4th Edition) (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.