What do you think?
Rate this book
Methods of Persuasion: How to Use Psychology to Influence Human Behavior
Over 50,000 copies sold. Using principles from cognitive psychology, Nick Kolenda developed a unique way to subconsciously influence people's thoughts. He developed a "mind reading" stage show depicting that phenomenon, and his demonstrations have been seen by over a million people across the globe. Methods of Persuasion reveals that secret for the first time. You'll learn how to use those principles to influence people's thoughts in your own life. Drawing from academic research in psychology, the entire book culminates a powerful 7-step persuasion process that follows the acronym, This book teaches you the psychology behind each step. You'll learn how to apply METHODS to your own life so that you can influence people's thoughts, emotions, and behavior in nearly any situation.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
2222 people are currently reading
3580 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
February 3, 2015
A shameless rip-off of "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion." Written by an hobbyist, not an expert. The book reads like one of those farmed out e-books attempting to farm easy cash on Amazon.
September 17, 2017
Chose the book because of the series I'm watching right at this moment, ie. "Mentalist". So in love with psychology and neurolinguistics for the last few years! I admit there were some strong points backed up by references, so there was much to learn, BUT I hated the way the author wrote it. It was targeted to salesmen and Sorry Nick Kolenda, you must be the most showy and egotistical person. "My book, I am, I have been doing that for ... years." In the end, he asked a favour to review the book. WHY WOULD YOU?!
February 16, 2020
Methods of Persuasion by Nick Kolenda explains several psychological techniques that can be used to subtly influence people. Psychologists and salesmen have known about many of these techniques for decades and I've heard of most of them before, so I didn't feel like there was really anything new here, but it's nice to have everything all in one place.
If you want to convince somebody to do something, you should start by priming them. For example, if you want someone to be more open-minded, you should start by telling them an anecdote about someone being open-minded. Something like, "I used to hate the idea of eating Brussels sprouts, but then I tried them and ended up liking them a lot." The person will start thinking about times they tried new things and this will make them more open-minded to your suggestion.
Getting someone to think about politeness makes them more polite, getting someone to think about friendliness makes them more friendly, etc. This reminded me of something a co-worker told me about his wife always being in the mood after watching romantic comedies or studies that show people are more aggressive immediately after playing a violent video game. I think most of us already know this instinctively. You never want to tell someone something that will make them mad when they're already in a bad mood. You want them to be in a more pleasant mood, so your bad news won't be as much of a big deal to them.
Another persuasive technique is called anchoring. It's an old sales technique to start with a high number (this toaster is worth $1000) then lower the number to make someone think they're getting a good deal (but we'll let you have it for $50). The person will think they're getting a better deal than if you just started with $50. Anchoring also works in courtroom situations. Judges are more likely to give lengthier prison sentences if the prosecutor starts by asking for a higher number than if they ask for a lower number. It's human nature to start from the number we're first presented with and adjust up or down from there.
Another form of anchoring is the contrast effect. Men are more likely to rate a woman as being more attractive if they're comparing her with less attractive women and vice versa. The contrast effect also works with food. People will estimate that a cheeseburger has more calories when comparing it to a salad, and less calories when comparing it to a cheesecake. So you can manipulate people by providing a contrasting example.
If you ask someone to estimate Gandhi's age after first asking if he was older or younger than 140, people will guess ages closer to the older side. Throwing out numbers, even ridiculous ones, influences people's judgments.
Another anchoring technique is the decoy effect. When selling a product, it's always a good idea to have a ridiculously priced luxury model. Not many people will purchase the luxury model, it's just there as a decoy to make the standard model seem like a better deal. By simply offering a higher-priced version of something, you can sell more of the regular-priced version.
You can use this in day-to-day life as well. When making a request from someone, first start by asking for a big favor they're not likely to say yes to, then follow up with a smaller request. They'll be more likely to say yes than if you only asked for the small favor by itself.
Another technique is to convey high expectations. When people have high expectations for something, they're likely to change their perception to match their expectations. We tend to see what we expect to see and feel what we expect to feel. For example, people enjoy cheap wine more if you trick them into thinking it's expensive wine. The wine will actually taste better to them just because they're expecting it to. Sometimes our expectations can even lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we expect something to happen, we may cause it to happen ourselves.
People form opinions quickly, so what you mention first will influence everything else you have to say. In order to be your most persuasive, you need to create a strong first impression.
I was most skeptical of the section on body language. He makes the claim that when people cross their arms, they're more likely to be close-minded, but according to an episode of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, this isn't true. He at least acknowledges that trying to influence people based on body language isn't practical.
When someone's attitude is inconsistent with their behavior, they experience cognitive dissonance and try to resolve the inconsistency. So if you want someone to comply with a large request, start by asking for a small request (such as a door to door salesman asking for a glass of water). Once you say yes to a person once, you're more likely to say yes to them again.
Even simply asking someone how they're doing can increase compliance. Most people will automatically say they're doing good as this is the social norm. They'll then be primed to say yes to your request in order to remain consistent with the positive attitude they just expressed.
Applying social pressure is another way to manipulate people. In studies, people will give the obviously wrong answer to a question if several people before them give the wrong answer. This is because we don't like to go against the crowd. In this chapter, he unfortunately repeats the debunked story of numerous people watching the murder of Kitty Genovese without doing anything to help her. In reality, not that many of her neighbors were aware of the attack and a couple of them did call police. He could have avoided repeating this myth by doing a quick internet search. Despite this error, the underlying point that people will often do nothing when a situation is ambiguous in order to avoid social embarrassment is a valid one.
A study showed that people are more likely to litter when there's already litter on the ground. Social norms like this can be leveraged in your favor. For example, if you put dollar bills into a tip jar, customers will be more likely to tip with cash rather than coins. Also, when you do a favor for someone, they will feel social pressure to return the favor. If you compliment them, they'll feel pressured to compliment you back. Another old salesmen technique.
A good way to build rapport with a potential customer is to point out similarities. We all have an inherent bias in favor of people who remind us of ourselves, even in trivial ways such as liking the same TV show. We even prefer products that have the same letters in their name as we do. Similarities that are less common, such as having the same birthday as someone else, enhances this effect. Also, using pronouns such as "we" and "us" can make someone feel more connected to you. We also tend to mimic people we like and like people who mirror our nonverbal behavior.
We generally like something (a song, a beer, a person) the more often we encounter it, so exposing your target to something repeatedly will make them like it more.
Humans often experience change blindness, the inability to detect unexpected changes. When a negative change occurs, it's best to hide it as much as possible. For example, instead of raising the price for a bag of potato chips, it's better to shrink the size of the bag, since people are more likely to notice a price increase but less likely to notice a smaller bag. If you know someone won't like a change, change things gradually so they'll be less likely to notice the change is happening.
If you've got a good argument, you'll want the person you're trying to persuade to pay close attention. However, if you have a bad argument, you'll want them to not pay so much attention. One study found students paid more attention after consuming a caffeinated drink, so if you've got an argument you want someone to pay attention to, it's a good idea to get them a coffee first. You can also get someone to pay more attention by saying something usual. In one study, people dressed as beggars asked for 37 cents rather than just asking for some change. This unusual request made more people pay attention to them.
People are also more likely to pay attention to something if they think it effects them personally. More vivid descriptions work as well. Driver safety commercials are more effective when they show bloody victims rather than crash test dummies. 2nd person pronouns get people to pay more attention as well. Also, commercials that tell a story are more effective than commercials that simply tell you about a product. Using rhetorical questions also helps.
People will doubt a message that's 100% positive, so it's a good idea to add a small amount of negative information to make what you're saying seem more realistic. You want to start and end with your strongest arguments and put your weakest arguments in the middle so people will be less likely to remember them.
Looks matter. Attractive criminals receive more lenient sentences than unattractive ones. Attractive infants receive more attention. Attractive men and women both receive higher salaries than their less attractive counterparts. This reminded me of an episode of Freakonomics which pointed out that attractive NFL quarterbacks (as determined by software that measures the symmetry of someone's face) get paid more than the less attractive quarterbacks. One way to apply this in your every day life is to make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing in order to get people to pay more attention to it.
Another interesting study found that when you make a request, the person is more likely to comply if you give them a reason for your request, even if it's a nonsensical reason.
It's also important to provide the proper incentives. Cash incentives, such as paying someone to help move furniture, carries a negative connotation with it. In one study, when researchers charged parents a fine when they were late to pick their kids up from daycare, tardiness actually increased. When they removed the fine, tardiness ceased. This is because monetizing something removes the social stigma. Paying a fine removes the guilt associated with being late. When there isn't an easy way to remove guilt, it forces parents to make an effort to be on time.
Hence, it's better provide social incentives (gifts, praise, positive feedback) rather than cash incentives. Even something as small as saying thank you can work wonders. Paying your partner $20 for sex is a bad idea. It's a much better idea to give them $20 worth of flowers or chocolate.
It's better to reward someone based on performance (getting a high score on a test) rather than engagement (studying for the test). Research shows rewarding engagement actually results in worse performance.
Setting limitations is another way to motivate people. For one thing, we don't like to feel that our freedom is being restricted. When we're told not to do something, that makes us want to do it. For example, when a television program warns that material may be too violent for some viewers, it actually increases the amount of people who watch it.
People are more concerned about avoiding a loss than achieving a gain. People are less likely to bring a reusable bag to the grocery store if it gives them a discount and more likely to bring one if they're charged a fee for not having one, even if the amount of the discount and the fee are the same.
We also place a higher value on something that's considered limited. When picking between two bottles of wine, we tend to pick the one that's almost out since that indicates it's more popular.
Giving too much choices can be a bad thing. Participation in 401(k) plans decreases the more different options there are. People are overwhelmed by having too many choices and instead don't pick anything.
In order to avoid information overload when there are a wide variety of options, group the options into categories to make the decision less overwhelming. So if there are 10 different options, grouping them into 3 categories will keep people from feeling overwhelmed.
It's also a good idea to make favorable associations. Stocks with easy to pronounce ticker symbols outperform stocks that don't. Humorous commercials are more effective than boring ones. People tend to have positive gut reactions to things that they're already familiar with, so comparing things to something they already like will make them trust you more.
Interestingly, someone will rate you as more attractive when they're in a high state of arousal, such as when watching a scary movie or riding a roller coaster, which makes these good locations for going on a date.
Overall, this is a good, easy-to-read book with a pleasant conversational tone. My brief summary here didn't really do it justice. Even if you're not interested in trying to persuade other people, it's good to know the techniques salespeople and marketing companies are using on you so you can resist them better.
If you want to convince somebody to do something, you should start by priming them. For example, if you want someone to be more open-minded, you should start by telling them an anecdote about someone being open-minded. Something like, "I used to hate the idea of eating Brussels sprouts, but then I tried them and ended up liking them a lot." The person will start thinking about times they tried new things and this will make them more open-minded to your suggestion.
Getting someone to think about politeness makes them more polite, getting someone to think about friendliness makes them more friendly, etc. This reminded me of something a co-worker told me about his wife always being in the mood after watching romantic comedies or studies that show people are more aggressive immediately after playing a violent video game. I think most of us already know this instinctively. You never want to tell someone something that will make them mad when they're already in a bad mood. You want them to be in a more pleasant mood, so your bad news won't be as much of a big deal to them.
Another persuasive technique is called anchoring. It's an old sales technique to start with a high number (this toaster is worth $1000) then lower the number to make someone think they're getting a good deal (but we'll let you have it for $50). The person will think they're getting a better deal than if you just started with $50. Anchoring also works in courtroom situations. Judges are more likely to give lengthier prison sentences if the prosecutor starts by asking for a higher number than if they ask for a lower number. It's human nature to start from the number we're first presented with and adjust up or down from there.
Another form of anchoring is the contrast effect. Men are more likely to rate a woman as being more attractive if they're comparing her with less attractive women and vice versa. The contrast effect also works with food. People will estimate that a cheeseburger has more calories when comparing it to a salad, and less calories when comparing it to a cheesecake. So you can manipulate people by providing a contrasting example.
If you ask someone to estimate Gandhi's age after first asking if he was older or younger than 140, people will guess ages closer to the older side. Throwing out numbers, even ridiculous ones, influences people's judgments.
Another anchoring technique is the decoy effect. When selling a product, it's always a good idea to have a ridiculously priced luxury model. Not many people will purchase the luxury model, it's just there as a decoy to make the standard model seem like a better deal. By simply offering a higher-priced version of something, you can sell more of the regular-priced version.
You can use this in day-to-day life as well. When making a request from someone, first start by asking for a big favor they're not likely to say yes to, then follow up with a smaller request. They'll be more likely to say yes than if you only asked for the small favor by itself.
Another technique is to convey high expectations. When people have high expectations for something, they're likely to change their perception to match their expectations. We tend to see what we expect to see and feel what we expect to feel. For example, people enjoy cheap wine more if you trick them into thinking it's expensive wine. The wine will actually taste better to them just because they're expecting it to. Sometimes our expectations can even lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we expect something to happen, we may cause it to happen ourselves.
People form opinions quickly, so what you mention first will influence everything else you have to say. In order to be your most persuasive, you need to create a strong first impression.
I was most skeptical of the section on body language. He makes the claim that when people cross their arms, they're more likely to be close-minded, but according to an episode of the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, this isn't true. He at least acknowledges that trying to influence people based on body language isn't practical.
When someone's attitude is inconsistent with their behavior, they experience cognitive dissonance and try to resolve the inconsistency. So if you want someone to comply with a large request, start by asking for a small request (such as a door to door salesman asking for a glass of water). Once you say yes to a person once, you're more likely to say yes to them again.
Even simply asking someone how they're doing can increase compliance. Most people will automatically say they're doing good as this is the social norm. They'll then be primed to say yes to your request in order to remain consistent with the positive attitude they just expressed.
Applying social pressure is another way to manipulate people. In studies, people will give the obviously wrong answer to a question if several people before them give the wrong answer. This is because we don't like to go against the crowd. In this chapter, he unfortunately repeats the debunked story of numerous people watching the murder of Kitty Genovese without doing anything to help her. In reality, not that many of her neighbors were aware of the attack and a couple of them did call police. He could have avoided repeating this myth by doing a quick internet search. Despite this error, the underlying point that people will often do nothing when a situation is ambiguous in order to avoid social embarrassment is a valid one.
A study showed that people are more likely to litter when there's already litter on the ground. Social norms like this can be leveraged in your favor. For example, if you put dollar bills into a tip jar, customers will be more likely to tip with cash rather than coins. Also, when you do a favor for someone, they will feel social pressure to return the favor. If you compliment them, they'll feel pressured to compliment you back. Another old salesmen technique.
A good way to build rapport with a potential customer is to point out similarities. We all have an inherent bias in favor of people who remind us of ourselves, even in trivial ways such as liking the same TV show. We even prefer products that have the same letters in their name as we do. Similarities that are less common, such as having the same birthday as someone else, enhances this effect. Also, using pronouns such as "we" and "us" can make someone feel more connected to you. We also tend to mimic people we like and like people who mirror our nonverbal behavior.
We generally like something (a song, a beer, a person) the more often we encounter it, so exposing your target to something repeatedly will make them like it more.
Humans often experience change blindness, the inability to detect unexpected changes. When a negative change occurs, it's best to hide it as much as possible. For example, instead of raising the price for a bag of potato chips, it's better to shrink the size of the bag, since people are more likely to notice a price increase but less likely to notice a smaller bag. If you know someone won't like a change, change things gradually so they'll be less likely to notice the change is happening.
If you've got a good argument, you'll want the person you're trying to persuade to pay close attention. However, if you have a bad argument, you'll want them to not pay so much attention. One study found students paid more attention after consuming a caffeinated drink, so if you've got an argument you want someone to pay attention to, it's a good idea to get them a coffee first. You can also get someone to pay more attention by saying something usual. In one study, people dressed as beggars asked for 37 cents rather than just asking for some change. This unusual request made more people pay attention to them.
People are also more likely to pay attention to something if they think it effects them personally. More vivid descriptions work as well. Driver safety commercials are more effective when they show bloody victims rather than crash test dummies. 2nd person pronouns get people to pay more attention as well. Also, commercials that tell a story are more effective than commercials that simply tell you about a product. Using rhetorical questions also helps.
People will doubt a message that's 100% positive, so it's a good idea to add a small amount of negative information to make what you're saying seem more realistic. You want to start and end with your strongest arguments and put your weakest arguments in the middle so people will be less likely to remember them.
Looks matter. Attractive criminals receive more lenient sentences than unattractive ones. Attractive infants receive more attention. Attractive men and women both receive higher salaries than their less attractive counterparts. This reminded me of an episode of Freakonomics which pointed out that attractive NFL quarterbacks (as determined by software that measures the symmetry of someone's face) get paid more than the less attractive quarterbacks. One way to apply this in your every day life is to make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing in order to get people to pay more attention to it.
Another interesting study found that when you make a request, the person is more likely to comply if you give them a reason for your request, even if it's a nonsensical reason.
It's also important to provide the proper incentives. Cash incentives, such as paying someone to help move furniture, carries a negative connotation with it. In one study, when researchers charged parents a fine when they were late to pick their kids up from daycare, tardiness actually increased. When they removed the fine, tardiness ceased. This is because monetizing something removes the social stigma. Paying a fine removes the guilt associated with being late. When there isn't an easy way to remove guilt, it forces parents to make an effort to be on time.
Hence, it's better provide social incentives (gifts, praise, positive feedback) rather than cash incentives. Even something as small as saying thank you can work wonders. Paying your partner $20 for sex is a bad idea. It's a much better idea to give them $20 worth of flowers or chocolate.
It's better to reward someone based on performance (getting a high score on a test) rather than engagement (studying for the test). Research shows rewarding engagement actually results in worse performance.
Setting limitations is another way to motivate people. For one thing, we don't like to feel that our freedom is being restricted. When we're told not to do something, that makes us want to do it. For example, when a television program warns that material may be too violent for some viewers, it actually increases the amount of people who watch it.
People are more concerned about avoiding a loss than achieving a gain. People are less likely to bring a reusable bag to the grocery store if it gives them a discount and more likely to bring one if they're charged a fee for not having one, even if the amount of the discount and the fee are the same.
We also place a higher value on something that's considered limited. When picking between two bottles of wine, we tend to pick the one that's almost out since that indicates it's more popular.
Giving too much choices can be a bad thing. Participation in 401(k) plans decreases the more different options there are. People are overwhelmed by having too many choices and instead don't pick anything.
In order to avoid information overload when there are a wide variety of options, group the options into categories to make the decision less overwhelming. So if there are 10 different options, grouping them into 3 categories will keep people from feeling overwhelmed.
It's also a good idea to make favorable associations. Stocks with easy to pronounce ticker symbols outperform stocks that don't. Humorous commercials are more effective than boring ones. People tend to have positive gut reactions to things that they're already familiar with, so comparing things to something they already like will make them trust you more.
Interestingly, someone will rate you as more attractive when they're in a high state of arousal, such as when watching a scary movie or riding a roller coaster, which makes these good locations for going on a date.
Overall, this is a good, easy-to-read book with a pleasant conversational tone. My brief summary here didn't really do it justice. Even if you're not interested in trying to persuade other people, it's good to know the techniques salespeople and marketing companies are using on you so you can resist them better.
December 2, 2014
Excellent book on everyday psychological influences in our lives.
This is not an academic book, however all the claims are backed up with studies and references. Easy to read heavy on application of this stuff in pour personal lives. One of the best books I have read on the personal application of psychology.
This is not an academic book, however all the claims are backed up with studies and references. Easy to read heavy on application of this stuff in pour personal lives. One of the best books I have read on the personal application of psychology.
October 23, 2019
I found it hard to put this book into specific type.
When I view it as an INTRODUCTION book to the topic of persuasion then it fails. You will be better to go to the sources where you have much better bigger picture on the topic.
As an EDUCATIONAL book it is just ok. Again you will find better and deeper explanation in the sources.
Where I think this book deserves a praise is as a REFERENCE book. The categorization is done nicely and I ended highlighting information so I can have it quick when I needed it again.
I did not like how author put emphasis on himself. The book will be much better if all the stuff referencing author would be cut. Also all introductions to chapters were just a time waste to get to the action steps and good information.
In the end I have a quick GO TO book when I need to recall something on the topic of persuasion.
When I view it as an INTRODUCTION book to the topic of persuasion then it fails. You will be better to go to the sources where you have much better bigger picture on the topic.
As an EDUCATIONAL book it is just ok. Again you will find better and deeper explanation in the sources.
Where I think this book deserves a praise is as a REFERENCE book. The categorization is done nicely and I ended highlighting information so I can have it quick when I needed it again.
I did not like how author put emphasis on himself. The book will be much better if all the stuff referencing author would be cut. Also all introductions to chapters were just a time waste to get to the action steps and good information.
In the end I have a quick GO TO book when I need to recall something on the topic of persuasion.
December 24, 2016
حجم عظیمی از کتابهایی که در مورد متقاعد کردن نوشته شدن، مستقیم یا غیرمستقیم تا حد زیادی تحت تاثیر مطالب کتاب «تاثیرگذاری» نوشته «رابرت کلدینی» بوده و هست. این کتاب هم استثنا نبود. چند جا که مستقیما رفرنس داده بود و مطالب دیگهای که به دیگران ارجاع داده بود هم در واقع توی همون کتاب کذایی هست، اما اینجا به روش دیگهای بیان شدن.
نکته منفیاش این بود که غیر از اون مطالبی که از کتاب تاثیرگذاری "الهام" گرفته بود، تقریبا چیز جدیدی نداشت. اما نکته خوب ماجرا تمرکز به کاربرد این اصول و روشها توی زندگی روزمره و کسب و کار بود که با مثالهای مختلف به خوبی توضیح داده بود.
نگارش کتاب هم خوب و روون بود. در کل راضیکننده بود. به خوندنش میارزید.
نکته منفیاش این بود که غیر از اون مطالبی که از کتاب تاثیرگذاری "الهام" گرفته بود، تقریبا چیز جدیدی نداشت. اما نکته خوب ماجرا تمرکز به کاربرد این اصول و روشها توی زندگی روزمره و کسب و کار بود که با مثالهای مختلف به خوبی توضیح داده بود.
نگارش کتاب هم خوب و روون بود. در کل راضیکننده بود. به خوندنش میارزید.
December 18, 2015
I didn't love it, but it was interesting. There were some helpful chapters in the book if you are interested in how people are persuaded.
March 27, 2024
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
⭐️ 4.5
⭐️ 4.5
July 2, 2017
9/10: Fascinating book with an easy to remember framework for persuasion.
You’ll be entertained by the numerous psychology studies ranging from the bizarre to the ridiculous.
By memorising the METHODS framework presented in the book you will be equipped with a toolkit of persuasive tactics for home and work. There is a lot of useful content in this book, with very limited fluff, and you will need to read slowly and take notes to get the most from this book.
This book has encouraged me to read more books on psychology and persuasion as the concepts contained are complex and a lot of further understanding would be required to consistently execute these methods well.
Here are some of the things I took away from the book:
Mould their perception
• Use priming to achieve a desired mindset in your target
• For example, to change your target’s thinking you might want to prime an open-minded mindset
• Priming can be achieved through the use of certain words that are associated with open-mindedness
• People often make decisions from anchor points
• For example, in a negotiation you could anchor your target at a certain number and their decision making will then start from that anchor point until they reach the outermost limit of their acceptable range
• Another anchoring technique is to ask for something very large and then ask for something relatively smaller so that the relatively smaller request seems reasonable.
• Expectations mould perceptions
• If delivering a message you could make a good first impression to provide high expectations for the rest of your message.
Elicit Congruent Attitudes
• People like to behave in a way that is consistent with their attitudes and body language
• Try and elicit body language in your target that is consistent with the decision you would like them to make (eg nodding their head)
Trigger social pressure
• People are influenced to confirm to avoid social rejection
• Social influence is so powerful that it can overcome strongly held views that someone has if they believe everyone is thinking differently
• Social rejection causes the same type of pain as physical pain
• If you have a rare similarity then reveal it to build rapport. People will form a more favourable view of you if they think you share something
Habituate your message
• You can increase compliance by repeating a message
• We like things we can read and understand quickly (processing fluency). This can be increased through repeated exposure
• Unfavourable messages can be desentised by conveying the message slowly, not allowing any side-by-side comparison and including positive messages as part of the conversation
Optimise your message
• People evaluate messages using either simple or complex analysis. Refine your message based on what type of analysis your target is likely to use (eg tube ads are longer because targets have longer to read them)
• The aesthetics of a message can be very important as people can find aesthetically pleasing messages very pleasing
Drive their momentum
• Limiting a product can increase demand
Sustain their compliance
• Requests and messages can be perceived differently based on associations with other stimuli like product placement, where the request was made or even the weather
You’ll be entertained by the numerous psychology studies ranging from the bizarre to the ridiculous.
By memorising the METHODS framework presented in the book you will be equipped with a toolkit of persuasive tactics for home and work. There is a lot of useful content in this book, with very limited fluff, and you will need to read slowly and take notes to get the most from this book.
This book has encouraged me to read more books on psychology and persuasion as the concepts contained are complex and a lot of further understanding would be required to consistently execute these methods well.
Here are some of the things I took away from the book:
Mould their perception
• Use priming to achieve a desired mindset in your target
• For example, to change your target’s thinking you might want to prime an open-minded mindset
• Priming can be achieved through the use of certain words that are associated with open-mindedness
• People often make decisions from anchor points
• For example, in a negotiation you could anchor your target at a certain number and their decision making will then start from that anchor point until they reach the outermost limit of their acceptable range
• Another anchoring technique is to ask for something very large and then ask for something relatively smaller so that the relatively smaller request seems reasonable.
• Expectations mould perceptions
• If delivering a message you could make a good first impression to provide high expectations for the rest of your message.
Elicit Congruent Attitudes
• People like to behave in a way that is consistent with their attitudes and body language
• Try and elicit body language in your target that is consistent with the decision you would like them to make (eg nodding their head)
Trigger social pressure
• People are influenced to confirm to avoid social rejection
• Social influence is so powerful that it can overcome strongly held views that someone has if they believe everyone is thinking differently
• Social rejection causes the same type of pain as physical pain
• If you have a rare similarity then reveal it to build rapport. People will form a more favourable view of you if they think you share something
Habituate your message
• You can increase compliance by repeating a message
• We like things we can read and understand quickly (processing fluency). This can be increased through repeated exposure
• Unfavourable messages can be desentised by conveying the message slowly, not allowing any side-by-side comparison and including positive messages as part of the conversation
Optimise your message
• People evaluate messages using either simple or complex analysis. Refine your message based on what type of analysis your target is likely to use (eg tube ads are longer because targets have longer to read them)
• The aesthetics of a message can be very important as people can find aesthetically pleasing messages very pleasing
Drive their momentum
• Limiting a product can increase demand
Sustain their compliance
• Requests and messages can be perceived differently based on associations with other stimuli like product placement, where the request was made or even the weather
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2020
Though I've read a few books on persuasion and psychology, this book is one of the better ones if not the best at introducing the concepts. Nick presents his METHOD sequentially leading the reader through each step both conceptually and live examples. I'm glad i found this book and I'm going to keep it on my shelf for future references.
July 13, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It is another take on how to understand the strategies of those who try to influence / persuade others to behave in a certain way.
January 7, 2020
Concise, boost to understanding of human psychology
Just, wow! I bought this book just a couple of days ago and couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I had a book that kept me reading until late at night, and although it's not "the most highlighted book on my shelf", it's definitely the one that I've taken the most notes on. Nick takes complex and abstract psychological concepts along with the research, and concisely, simply (and entertainingly) explains them in an easy to understand way. Just reading this book will leave you, not only with greater skill in the art of persuasion, with a much greater working understanding of human psychology (which was the biggest thing for me. Its motivated me to go back through all the notes I've taken to further plan my application of the powerful principles.
Just, wow! I bought this book just a couple of days ago and couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I had a book that kept me reading until late at night, and although it's not "the most highlighted book on my shelf", it's definitely the one that I've taken the most notes on. Nick takes complex and abstract psychological concepts along with the research, and concisely, simply (and entertainingly) explains them in an easy to understand way. Just reading this book will leave you, not only with greater skill in the art of persuasion, with a much greater working understanding of human psychology (which was the biggest thing for me. Its motivated me to go back through all the notes I've taken to further plan my application of the powerful principles.
January 18, 2020
GREAT READ
This was one of the better books that I have read lately. I love the way that the author uses humor and plain English and examples to convey his point. And it's something that you don't even realize you use on a day-to-day basis. Allowing you to see the fundamental framework of the concepts definitely makes you understand how people are persuaded to do certain things. I recommend this book for anyone over the age of 15... And a must-read for people that work in human relations or goods and services.
This was one of the better books that I have read lately. I love the way that the author uses humor and plain English and examples to convey his point. And it's something that you don't even realize you use on a day-to-day basis. Allowing you to see the fundamental framework of the concepts definitely makes you understand how people are persuaded to do certain things. I recommend this book for anyone over the age of 15... And a must-read for people that work in human relations or goods and services.
July 22, 2020
As entertaining as it is fascinating, the author deftly leads you through a process of seeding ideas in your imagination and then eliciting them out of you so you feel it is your own idea and free will.
Easy to understand and get your head around (perhaps that is what he wanted me to say), this is a revelation for anyone in any walk of life - but especially in sales or communications.
I have already tried putting his methods into practice and enjoyed my moderate success (practice after all makes perfect).
A great and thoroughly enjoyable read on an invaluable skill set.
Easy to understand and get your head around (perhaps that is what he wanted me to say), this is a revelation for anyone in any walk of life - but especially in sales or communications.
I have already tried putting his methods into practice and enjoyed my moderate success (practice after all makes perfect).
A great and thoroughly enjoyable read on an invaluable skill set.
September 1, 2020
Personally I found some interesting concepts in this book. It is easy, quick and enjoyable to read. It summarises concepts and ideas from different books e.g. thinking fast and slow. I didnt like the pressure to buy more of the books though, and at times seems rushed as in "i'm packaging stuff together to sell this book and make money" :D or maybe because it was rushed at times it made it easier to read. Nevertheless, being a free book with Prime kept expectations low, and it was surprisingly informative.
November 27, 2018
Methods Of Persuasion by Tevin
That is for sure an interesting book. I like the idea to have a clear method to follow. I guess v that when it comes to communication and persuasion, there is so much to learn that it will take time for the information to completely sink in. Furthermore, understanding is one thing, integrating the information to the level where we automatically, instinctively apply it is something else. Really interesting book, I will certainly read it again.
That is for sure an interesting book. I like the idea to have a clear method to follow. I guess v that when it comes to communication and persuasion, there is so much to learn that it will take time for the information to completely sink in. Furthermore, understanding is one thing, integrating the information to the level where we automatically, instinctively apply it is something else. Really interesting book, I will certainly read it again.
January 1, 2019
One of the most intriguing books I've read. No Freudian mumbo-jumbo, this is an accessible and fun read on appled psychology. Some concept examples: if you PRIME the SCHEMA of OLD AGE by inserting words like walking stick, Florida and retirement homes into a questionnaire, the participants will walk out of the room more slowly! Or... people may MISATTRIBUTE the good feeling of viewing an aesthetically pleasing web site to the quality of its content.
August 6, 2019
Reasonably decent overview of persuasion. The author of this book touches on the main topics in this area of social psychology. This is a reasonably well done and accessible summary of persuasion. This book is a decent encapsulation of the highlights of an undergrad course in persuasion. For the person not in college or majoring in psychology, this book is a decent overview and summary of this interesting area of influence and human behavior.
June 24, 2020
Amazing book to read if you want to unlock the secrets of persuasion. The Beauty of this book that it gives you more of a direct insights without maneuvering around and saying so much of nonsense stories like other similar books do. It also can be used in business management, whereas the techniques can pretty much be applied to do effective marketing to most of the products as using the main social psychology triggers.
July 13, 2020
Nick does a great job breaking each method down into bite-sized information. He also provides very relevant examples of how each works and WHY. It does not feel like a step by step list of methods but rather a list that engages you. He provides some high-level principles in a way that's very easy to understand. He also connects it to a very real example he continues to share throughout the story and build up. I highly recommend this book!
April 7, 2021
Well researched explanations
Nick has written an easy-to-read explanation of a mnemonically incremented process that will be helpful in crafting approaches for cooperation with others. The incredible number of references to research is impressive and adds weight to the authority of the process. I recommend it to others who are serious about getting improved results. It's a fun read too! Well done Nick.
Nick has written an easy-to-read explanation of a mnemonically incremented process that will be helpful in crafting approaches for cooperation with others. The incredible number of references to research is impressive and adds weight to the authority of the process. I recommend it to others who are serious about getting improved results. It's a fun read too! Well done Nick.
March 7, 2022
so interesting and dangerous reading
This is a clever book on the different persuasion methods that are used all the time around us and we don’t even realize. This book is helpful if you want to understand human behavior to improve things like your communication and marketing too. After reading the book I spent another hour or so on his website and YouTube channel. Excellent material. I’m moving on to his next book. Highly recommend this book.
This is a clever book on the different persuasion methods that are used all the time around us and we don’t even realize. This book is helpful if you want to understand human behavior to improve things like your communication and marketing too. After reading the book I spent another hour or so on his website and YouTube channel. Excellent material. I’m moving on to his next book. Highly recommend this book.
October 26, 2022
Although at the beginning I found it quite boring I changed my mind from Chapter 3 when Nick was explaining his METHODS of influencing the behaviour of people around us on a subconscious level. Giving examples from real life made it much more interesting and appealing.
I will write for myself a summary of the main strategies he used in this book because a truly believe they will help me further personally and professionally.
Enjoy your reading!
I will write for myself a summary of the main strategies he used in this book because a truly believe they will help me further personally and professionally.
Enjoy your reading!
October 24, 2023
The best book on persuasion I know
This was a great read. The author explains a lot of little concepts in a way that made me grasp numerous broader concepts.
He uses lots of little studies to back up his claims, which I am sceptical of as a lot of these like priming have proven fragile. But while I distrust the individual studies and effect sizes, I believe that the general direction is right - because it makes intuitive sense.
This was a great read. The author explains a lot of little concepts in a way that made me grasp numerous broader concepts.
He uses lots of little studies to back up his claims, which I am sceptical of as a lot of these like priming have proven fragile. But while I distrust the individual studies and effect sizes, I believe that the general direction is right - because it makes intuitive sense.
December 18, 2024
I found the book interesting, especially considering my marketing background. It covered a lot of material we discussed in college, but approached it more practically. Overall, the book is well-written and offers valuable tools. I even tried using the methods at work to get people thinking about McDonald's, but it didn't quite work out. Instead, they thought about Coca-Cola, which is close enough for me. I'm still trying to figure out why.
January 26, 2019
Excellent overview of psychological persuasion
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and although I feel I will need to go over it again to cerment some of the methods. I will use it as reference and have used some principles already which I have appeared l applied to my role in sales.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and although I feel I will need to go over it again to cerment some of the methods. I will use it as reference and have used some principles already which I have appeared l applied to my role in sales.
January 20, 2020
Good mix of science and lay terminology
Nick Kolenda does a good job of using every examples to illustrate the scientific principles behind understanding how the mind processes information. It is easy to understand yet uses a large amount of published scientific references to back up his claims.
Nick Kolenda does a good job of using every examples to illustrate the scientific principles behind understanding how the mind processes information. It is easy to understand yet uses a large amount of published scientific references to back up his claims.
October 28, 2020
Give it a read!
I love the stuff kolenda writes and his YouTube channel. I think I might need to read this again but overall, it was not overwhelming to read. I thought it was packed with tips that I don’t want to forget. I love the examples in the book and the humor used. It makes learning psychology interesting and fun!
I love the stuff kolenda writes and his YouTube channel. I think I might need to read this again but overall, it was not overwhelming to read. I thought it was packed with tips that I don’t want to forget. I love the examples in the book and the humor used. It makes learning psychology interesting and fun!
November 28, 2021
Required for all interpersonal fields
I liked the practical applications, and the use of note cards as reminders. The use of research for each example serve as a factual guide for any interpersonal actions, and I look forward to use with family and neighbors. With the coming elections, it will make discovering hidden agendas and subtle manipulations much easier...
I liked the practical applications, and the use of note cards as reminders. The use of research for each example serve as a factual guide for any interpersonal actions, and I look forward to use with family and neighbors. With the coming elections, it will make discovering hidden agendas and subtle manipulations much easier...
October 8, 2023
A combination of Robert Cialdini's Influence and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and slow.Teaches how to use the principles in those two books practically.However one doesn't need to read those two books to understand Nick Kolenda's book. The book is so good that I will buy Nick's other work in the near future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews