Under the influence: nine tactics for persuasion (2)

In our last post, we looked at the the first four key influence tactics described in the Mind Gym: Wake Up Your Mind: Reason, Inspire, Ask and Feel Good.

Here we’ll look at the last five tactics and where you can find examples of them in movies.

Deal

Deal is a simple and commonly used tactic – if you do this for me, then I’ll do that for you. In 12 Angry Men, Juror 8 – the sole juror to believe the defendant may be innocent – makes a deal with his fellow jurors. If they vote again and no one else has changed his position, then he’ll change his. It’s a gamble, but it works: Juror 9 changes his view.

More recently, Deal features prominently in Silver Linings Playbook. Jennifer Lawrence’s character Tiffany makes a deal with new friend Pat Solitano to pass his letters to his ex-wife – but only on condition that he enters a dance contest with her. ‘No dance, no letter,’ she tells him.

Favour

One of cinema’s most famous lines sums up this tactic: ‘Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope’.

As Princess Leia discovered in Star Wars, people are inclined to help more often than you might credit. Simply asking for a favour can often be highly effective. But as Robert Cialdini outlines in Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion, favours are subject to the reciprocity effect: there’s an expectation that they should be returned. If you fail to do so, your credibility is likely to be affected.

Silent Allies

Wilberforce's petition — Wilberforce’s petition

One of UK advertising’s most famous lines – ‘8 out of 10 owners said their cats preferred it’ – shows the benefits of silent allies. Cialdini calls this the power of social proof – we’re heavily influenced by the actions of other people.

In Amazing Grace, abolitionist William Wilberforce draws on thousands of silent allies by unravelling a giant petition in favour of abolishing slavery across the House of Commons. It’s a powerful demonstration of social proof.

Authority

We can be subtly influenced by symbols of authority – policemen, doctors, even just the sight of their uniforms.

This is demonstrated powerfully in Catch Me If You Can, where conman Robert Abegnale Jr finds doors open for him when he dons the uniforms of an airline pilot and doctor. In fact, just wearing a pilot’s uniform persuades bank tellers to cash cheques for him without proper authorisation.

Of course, Abegnale turns on the charm too, knowing that the tactic of Feel good will also help him get what he wants.

Force

When all else fails, Force (‘do it, or else’) can still work. It’s best used in crisis situations where you need immediate compliance. But while it can be effective in the short term, the long-term effect is often to terminally damage relationships.

Once again, 12 Angry Men provides a concise demonstration, as one Juror takes exception to another. ‘Be nice, or I’ll lay you out,’ he warns.

Influencing continues to be a core skill, whatever our role. By expanding the number of different tactics we use, the more effective we’re likely to be.