Fascinating interview on Talk of the Nation today with Robert Cialdini about his new book Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.
My interest in this is not so much in improving my own personal persuasiveness (which is pretty much a no-hoper anyway) but rather in defending myself against these techniques used by others. Rather timely for an election year, wouldn’t you say?
Probably not in the pseudo-science of persuasive, but there are the near cultish checks of “General Semantics” … part of which is a regular check on what the words and figures are supposed to mean to the parties attempting to communicate.
Did they include the two year old approaches, of “Why” and “No”…properly used they can work like a charm.
and at least…
Putting in the ear plugs works also esp. in election year.
Les DeGroff
August 23rd, 2008
“Why” and “No” are good!
Satchel
August 27th, 2008