The Behavioral Science of Persuasion

In doing research and editing for a client who is writing a book on business communication, I came across an article published in the Harvard Business Review: "Harnessing the Science of Persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini (2001). He culled the following six principles from research that has been around for a while.
1. "The Principle of Liking: People like those who like them." So find similarities and offer praise.
2. "The Principle of Reciprocity: People repay in kind." So give to get.
3. "The Principle of Social Proof: People follow the lead of similar others." So use social evidence and experience (peer pressure and peer power).
4. "The Principle of Consistency: People align with their clear comitments." So identify values.
5. "The Principle of Authority: People defer to experts." So specialize and seek out those who specialize in their expertise.
6. "The Principle of Scarcity: People want more of what they can have less of." So use deadlines and target dates to create a sense of closure, and to create a sense of reward and releif for those who act quickly.

So what? Observe and listen to the infomercials where many of these principles of persuasion are at play. Then be serious and genuine in your approach as you influence people in acting and thinking as you want. Furthermore, be nice. Be kind. Be fair. Be true. And refrain from yelling at your audience!