A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade

In his now-classic "Influence", Robert Cialdini tagged along with vacuum salesmen, car dealers and other persuasion professionals to come up with the six psychological principles that were "deployed routinely in long-prospering influence businesses" -- reciprocation, liking, social proof, authority, scarcity, and consistency. Those principles are still solid gold. Prof Cialdini once again gets his hands dirty to uncover an even deeper level of influence: how to make compliance almost a foregone conclusion through what happens *before* the pitch -- or "pre-suasion, the process of arranging for recipients to be receptive to a message before they encounter it." Some of its principles:
• Privileged moments: timing is huge. Get people at the right time, and compliance goes way up.
• Channeled attention: things that you pay attention to automatically become more important. Channel attention to get results.
• Primacy of associations: change the associations around a concept -> change the behavior.
• Persuasive geographies: location predisposes to behavior, e.g. you're going to run more often if you live close to a park.
The book is full of fascinating anecdotes illustrating the persuasive strategies that make you think at once "Holy cow that's like voodoo" and "Geez I'm glad I know about this so I don't fall for it" and "Y'know, I just may have to use that one someday." Jim, the top home alarm salesman would "forget" something from his car at the same point in every sales presentation, then get the homeowner's house keys "to let himself out." Now they implicitly trusted him *'cause he's got their house keys*. Cult recruiters ask people "Are you unhappy?" to get them to focus on their dissatisfactions. You put fluffy clouds on a furniture website's background, and people paid more; you put pennies, and people paid less.
At a certain point, you have to ask yourself: can influence be this subtle? Are we all such chumps to fall for the key trick or the cloud trick? The answer is that nothing in this book is speculative or theoretical, no matter how zany it sounds. These are scientifically-verified findings based on observing what works. Bob Cialdini doth not mess around.
The tools in this book are potent, and like a hammer, you can use them to build or to destroy. Marketers and advertisers are obviously going to have a field day with this book to manipulate us further. But you can also expand your awareness of these techniques to become more savvy about how you wish to be influenced -- or even better, to influence *yourself* towards greater happiness and well-being. Channel your attention towards gratitude and the blessings in your life. Arrange your environment such that you favor a healthier diet. Live close to a park, trail, gym, health food store and dear friends. "Presuasion", an instant classic about how the world works, can be your secret weapon to stack the deck of life in your favor.
-- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., Happiness Engineer & author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rating dating book on the store for 4+ years

Ok this book was NOT what I thought it was. I thought I was getting a guide to persuasion with techniques and what not, but this book is all about the fact that you need to prime people up before you persuade them. What should have been a sentence was stretched out to this book.

Amazing information presented in a highly readable fashion. Lots of interesting stories, but backed up with lots of scientific study. Wish I had read this book 20 years ago.
Some of it is common sense, but other parts are counter-intuitive. Fascinating !

The book has a core message around the title and supports it well with multiple studies. Several of the concepts here though, have been covered in other books on behavioral economics, and many of the same examples have been quoted, with a slightly different perspective.

Cialdini is brilliant. I have read most of what he has ever written. I SO wanted to read this book. I could not get past the 2nd chapter. I read a LOT. I have tons of books. This one will never be on the "have read" list. There is a big difference between great information, and great information formatted in a way that makes it easily digestible. I do not want to have to strain to read a book. I had to strain to read this one. I am disappointed. I hope someone takes the research that is in this book and puts it into a user friendly book that one can enjoy.

Very nice insight.
The book is basically about the important of focus and preparing the ground before you influence.
Could have gotten 5 stars but some of what he writes is common knowledge, and some subject can be attended with less pages.

I just could not connect with this book.

Let me review and analyze a story in the book that Robert Cialdini tells which will illustrate my general sense of the book.

Cialdini tells of studying a sales training program of a company that sells expensive fire alarm systems. As part of the training he accompanies a top performing salesperson named Jim on sales calls to families. The company makes the salespeople give a 10 minute written test to these prospects with the purpose of showing them how little they know about the dangers of a home fire. After starting the test, Jim suddenly remembers that he forgot the book in his car which he needs to demonstrate the superiority of the company's system. And so, rather than interrupting the test he asks to let himself out and back in, often requiring the homeowner's key to get back in. Jim does this routine on every call, which the other sales people do not do. Cialdini presses him on the selling secret, which Jim finally reveals: "Think, Bob: Who do you let walk in and out of your house on their own? Only somebody you trust, right? I want to be associated with trust in those families' minds." Cialdini states that this is a brilliant trick.

OK, what is wrong here? Several things.

First, one can come up with alternate hypothesis as to why the trick works. Perhaps the potential customers feel less stress with a guy who can't even remember to bring in a book, since they are going to be evaluated with the written test. Alternately, this time out may give the family a chance to chat which makes them more comfortable with the process. Perhaps doing this trick actually affects how the salesperson sees himself in that situation and this results in better outcomes. I would expect some sort of anticipation of alternate hypotheses including some sort of run tests to see what is really going on or at least a compelling argument against them.

Second, on the notion that Jim induces trust with his trick - do we trust strangers who do work in our houses because they work in our houses? After all, we are letting them in as well. I don't buy that we trust them as a result. We may trust few people with our cars, but we are forced to trust mechanics with them. Does that trust extend further as a result? I don't think so.

Third, it is not made specifically clear how much better Jim performs than the others. While it does say that he outsells the others month after month and is more likely to close a sale than not, what kind of volume are we talking here? How many calls? How qualified are the calls? How well does the second best salesperson do? I like sufficient numbers to really know what is happening.

Fourth, there is no evidence that this technique works with other salespersons to produce better sales outcomes. No tests were run. The question then arises: Is it transferable? Into contexts without a 10 minute written test involving the sale of something expensive?

What level of confidence am I left with after reading that story that I have encountered some solid and useful information? None.

So that is it.

I found the book to be trivial or lacking solid information that could be applied. As far as trivial, don't most children intuitively know the notion of "privileged moments"? This is a moment when the target person is more likely to accede to a request. Wait until tomorrow, your father is in a bad mood right now.

Related books that I was able to connect with:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

This book serves as a great aid to Cialdini's first book Influence. It's an aid because his six principles of influence are still foundational to moving people to yes. When you learn how to be pre-suasive you'll be much more effective when it comes to persuading people because, as Cialdini shows, the set up or context for persuasion can make all the difference. If that's not enough for you there's a bonus - you'll learn about a new, 7th principle of influence! Understanding the power of "we" will also make you much better at ethically influencing people. I highly recommend getting a copy of Pre-suasion.

My career began as a Clinical Psychologist and eventually I got into software design, internet marketing, management consulting, and most recently politics (elected office). Along the way I had ample opportunity to take what I learned from Psychology and apply it to marketing and sales, and I had a pretty good track record, learning more from my failures than my successes. One thing I learned for sure is that the experiments done with college students in controlled settings didn't apply all that well to the real world, and that descriptive analysis was far m ore accurate than predictive analysis. Cialdini's book will give the interested reader very little to take away that is going to really work. For one thing, it is much too long, and rambles on and on. This is a fault well known to academics yet they persist in repeating it, even when they are aware of it. Between the endless stories there are a few gems that can be picked up here and there, but they are far too rare.

A huge disappointment! I am a big fan of Cialdini's book Influence, which I refer to and recommend often. This book, however, has way more anecdotes than evidence, and the theme here is how to influence people in ways that they would never in a million years realize. That's why I call the book "creepy."

In addition, the book is painful to read because the author tries way too hard to be entertaining and clever, to the point that you have to reread and concentrate to understand his actual point (when he has one).

I agree with the negative reviews that call this book fluff and foo-foo. Unfortunately.

This is a well written useful book for all marketing and sales people. Excellent examples and interesting to read. The book complements and adds to my understanding of the first book Influence. I recommend the book without qualification. Really excellent examples of the ideas put forth. This is a must read book for everyone who wants to communicate better. Eldon Edwards

A well researched insightful work but maybe not as path breaking and (arguably) entertaining as Influence (at least as a casual reader). The author details various techniques and tactics that can be used to influence an argument or tilt the scales a certain way prior to making a pitch. Readers will identify with day to day examples such as use of certain images in advertising campaigns, why heavy binders in interview process make one appear to be a more serious candidate, use of key metaphors and selective wording, etc. All in all, I thought this was a good work that I might go back to at a later stage but ironically enough, having read Influence fairly recently, I might have set expectations too high and was a touch disappointed.

Good but not a masterpiece as his "Influence" book.
While his first book "influence" is truly a masterpiece that everyone should read, and offers non-trivial knowledge that is easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to prevent from abuse. This book crosses some ethical boundaries, and teaches the "dirty tricks" of sales. It is still a good book. Less practical for many readers. Lots of the tricks here cannot be used without practice.

I gave this book a five star rating because it gives many original stories and examples of the thought provoking ideas it presents. You might like this because you want to understand how pre-suasion works both for and against your personal interest.

When I buy a book I ask myself what do I want to learn from this book or why did I chose this book over others. My reason for this purchase was to learn one or two important techniques that I can use in my daily life. Unfortunately, I did not get the answer to my question. I did get a lot of discussions about studies of French music playing in the wine store gets you to buy French wine, or if someone uses an opener which is framing like do you consider yourself a helpful person and then asking for help.
And one major pet peave I have with writers of self help or social psychology or non fiction books is to write a whole book and not have a final chapter tieing all of it together-so what does all this means (at least summarize it or how can an average person use this)-they just spend $28 on your book.
Most people don't give a rats butt about all the studies unless they can use some techniques in their life to make their life better.

Well documented, this book is an interesting reading for anyone interested in learning about persuasion. It reports several studies on behavioral science and draws on that research to provide guidance on how to be more persuasive. It intends to be prescriptive, yet it is not always clear or convincing.

Not bad in itself, but the psychology of influence was such a masterpiece that any comparison will make this book suffer. There is also a section in this book where the themes explained in the first book are described. That is not bad for newcomers in Cialdini's universe but for people who read the psychology of influence it is a waste of time.

Which messages cause people to comply? Robert Cialdini’s new book addresses this question. Pre-Suasion is a revolutionary way to influence and persuade. Pre-suasion operates by creating favorable conditions a few moments before trying to influence. This is a powerful book, and not without its ethical concerns. I’ll get to that in a minute.

A conjurer intentionally misdirects an audience’s attention. Dr. Cialdini explains how attention works, how it can get diverted, and how it can be maintained. There is such a thing as a geography of persuasion. Cues in the environment subliminally influence our future actions. Control those cues and you’re much more likely to persuade. Pre-Suasion is filled with examples of how this works.

Dr. Cialdini’s book, Influence, was published over thirty years ago, and has now sold over three million copies. At that time, he made the case for how readers can become aware of how they are being manipulated, rather than advocating use of the book for unethical practices.
Pre-Suasion poses more of a problem. An uncomfortable truth is that many people will cheat if they think they won’t get caught.

Dr. Cialdini cites a pair of global surveys that revealed how “uncomfortably large numbers” of senior business leaders know of the value of their company’s reputation, yet if they feel they can get away with it, they will behave unethically. He writes, “It’s therefore a legitimate concern that publication of the information might enlighten certain unethical organizations about how to trick people into assent more effectively.” This makes Pre-Suasion a dangerous book.

Dr. Cialdini attempts to soften this harsh reality by showing data on how dishonesty undermines organizational profits. There are no easy answers here.

I didn’t expect this to be such a page-turner. Dr. Cialdini has written a lively and engaging book. It’s a tour through social psychology. There is new research here on “persuasion science.” It’s a more accessible read than Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, and more comprehensive than Richard Thaler and Cass Suntein’s Nudge. If you like these books, you’ll find Pre-Suasion a worthwhile read.

Yet much of the material here is well-trodden ground for social psychologists. What made it hard to put down are the personal stories. They are always relevant, and often funny. He tells of a pyramid scheme operation where he was given the sales pitch during a long bus trip: an environment controlled to produce foggy decision making.

Readers get a feel for learning from a real human being, rather than encountering dry and abstract research. Dr. Cialdini tells of his struggle to write for a general audience in academic surroundings. The cues around him kept him coming back to an academic style. When he switched to his home office, the images and objects around him influenced his writing to be better suited to a general audience. For example, on the topic of email spam, this was probably not written in his university office:

"I, for instance have been flattered to learn through repeated Internet messages that many Ukrainian virgin prostitutes want to meet me; if that can’t be arranged, they can get me an outstanding deal on reconditioned printer cartridges."

The objective is to direct attention. For example, publicizing data on pollution has more effect than fining companies. Corporations can easily pay fines, but have trouble with attention focused on their wrongdoing and the resulting social perception.

Before reading this book I wasn't looking out for environmental cues. If you want somebody to feel warmth toward you, first (pre-suasively) let them hold a warm drink for a while. If you want to impress someone on the seriousness of your communication, get them to hold a heavy object. This way they have to make an effort to hold it. That effort is associated the effort they need to focus on your message. We talk of “paying” attention. And this is an often unrecognized fact: attention requires energy.

Talk is cheap. But getting a person to actively engage can reap large rewards. Even the smallest of voluntary acts can make a difference. Commitment to a new behavior comes about not just through reminders but active engagement. In one instance, Dr. Cialdini, writes of how dental patients improved their appointment commitments when they filled out a reminder card, instead of the dental office employee doing it. This simple act made the future commitment easier to keep.

This book offers an in-depth learning experience. I’ll be returning to it often. The research is impressive. The book delivers the promise of learnable skills. Pre-Suasion depends upon developing an awareness of human associations, clarity of what you want, formulating your question, and asking it at the right time.

Note: I did receive an advance copy from the publisher.

Disclaimer: Christopher Richards is a business book ghostwriter and has no affiliation with the author of this book.

Can you imagine having the power to hold an audience attention through a fire alarm in a crowded theater, all because they're interest in how your story or message ends is more important to them?

BUT HOW?

This is not just another book filled with insightful results of tests you could never duplicate... in this book, Dr. Cialdini answers the question that eludes most books in this genre... that is, "But how can I really do it?" "How can I confidently apply this knowledge to my desire, and achieve life changing results?" ... of course without a PhD and years of training.

Because of his practical and easy to follow duplicate-able strategies, this book has been a thrilling page turner, the likes of a Dan Brown novel or your favorite block-buster mystery.

(I will add what i find to be the most elegant ideas later.. just don't want you to contemplate getting started with this book.)

We first encountered Robert Cialdini’s work in the 1980s, through his clarifying and legendary book, Influence: Science and Practice, which is as popular as ever today in its 5th edition. Now, comes his successor volume that will underscore Cialdini’s deserved reputation as our preeminent scholar and explainer of how persuasion works.

In Pre-suasion--observe the shrewd prefix--Cialdini introduces readers to the powerful window of opportunity before the launch of any persuasive message. He illustrates how one must set the stage before delivering the pitch. Tilling the soil, preparing it for seed, can determine outcomes, just as surely as the viability of seed itself. Here are just a few examples from the scores that he offers:

During the Iraq war, the U.S. military embedded journalists with troops that they were covering. What were the effects of this arrangement on war reporting?

If you host a dinner party with French wine, how can you make your guests find the wine ever so much more enjoyable?

Are there simple strategies that boost the chances that at-risk job seekers actually become employable?

Can using a metaphor help your sales pitch?

Cialdini shares intriguing answers to these and many more questions, ranging from mundane to cosmic themes in human behavior. Everything he writes about readers can apply to their own lives and careers. His style is witty, even conversational. But, he never dumbs-down to ignore solid evidence or the complications of applying social science to real, day-to-day situations. The Endnotes, nearly 70 pages on top of more than 230 pages of text, represent fascinating reading.

We are assigning Pre-suasion to our university students. But, the book is even better than that. It’s a manual for living. And, for understanding why the result is often assured, for ill or good, even before the persuasive effort has begun.

Susan H. Evans and Peter Clarke

Can you imagine having the power to hold an audience attention through a fire alarm in a crowded theater, all because they're interest in how your story or message ends is more important to them?

BUT HOW?

This is not just another book filled with insightful results of tests you could never duplicate... in this book, Dr. Cialdini answers the question that eludes most books in this genre... that is, "But how can I really do it?" "How can I confidently apply this knowledge to my desire, and achieve life changing results?" ... of course without a PhD and years of training.

Because of his practical and easy to follow duplicate-able strategies, this book has been a thrilling page turner, the likes of a Dan Brown novel or your favorite block-buster mystery.

(I will add what i find to be the most elegant ideas later.. just don't want you to contemplate getting started with this book.)

This is not a gimmick book that tells you the obvious and makes it seem revolutionary. It actually informs you of things right in front of your nose that you never realized, but are all true. Superb. Simply superb. Well worth the money.

We first encountered Robert Cialdini’s work in the 1980s, through his clarifying and legendary book, Influence: Science and Practice, which is as popular as ever today in its 5th edition. Now, comes his successor volume that will underscore Cialdini’s deserved reputation as our preeminent scholar and explainer of how persuasion works.

In Pre-suasion--observe the shrewd prefix--Cialdini introduces readers to the powerful window of opportunity before the launch of any persuasive message. He illustrates how one must set the stage before delivering the pitch. Tilling the soil, preparing it for seed, can determine outcomes, just as surely as the viability of seed itself. Here are just a few examples from the scores that he offers:

During the Iraq war, the U.S. military embedded journalists with troops that they were covering. What were the effects of this arrangement on war reporting?

If you host a dinner party with French wine, how can you make your guests find the wine ever so much more enjoyable?

Are there simple strategies that boost the chances that at-risk job seekers actually become employable?

Can using a metaphor help your sales pitch?

Cialdini shares intriguing answers to these and many more questions, ranging from mundane to cosmic themes in human behavior. Everything he writes about readers can apply to their own lives and careers. His style is witty, even conversational. But, he never dumbs-down to ignore solid evidence or the complications of applying social science to real, day-to-day situations. The Endnotes, nearly 70 pages on top of more than 230 pages of text, represent fascinating reading.

We are assigning Pre-suasion to our university students. But, the book is even better than that. It’s a manual for living. And, for understanding why the result is often assured, for ill or good, even before the persuasive effort has begun.

Susan H. Evans and Peter Clarke

Great read! Pre-suasion is about getting your audience or consumers primed for the item/product. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend re-reading it to ensure you remember the content so you can apply it.

I purchased this book after reading Influence, but i didn't really like this one because the English is unnecessarily too standard or "scholarly". The information is good so I think it would have been better if the author used simple English as he did when he wrote "Influence".
So for this reason only 3 Stars.

The author is off to a terrible start in his author notes, quoting both Sun Tsu and Cicero in the span of three pages. I thought you got laughed out of the room in business consulting if you’re still at the level of referencing Sun Tsu. And what’s even more embarrassing, his quotation of Cicero betrays that he fundamentally doesn’t understand what Cicero was talking about. A red flag.

Then in his first chapter he rattles off a bunch of claims about the efficacy of priming. But no references of footnotes. Now my red flag warning bells a ringing. That’s a sure sign of pop psychology. Not a definite indication, but worrisome.

Sure enough, it gets worse. Much of what he cites has been debunked.

I strongly recommend the one star review by Mr Neeley. He is spot-on.

https://www.the store.com/gp/aw/reviews/B01C36E2YS/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&pageNumber=1

I have read a lot of persution and negotiation books from Harvard teachers such as William Ury, Roger Fisher and Dan Shapiro, even the Mr Trump's books are very good, entertaining and educative about these topics; nothing related to this book that probably has good investigation but is not entertaining or easy to get the idea when is read it. If would believe in the sample (I thought would be better reading more pages ) i would not buy it

Good, but not as good as the earlier book (which I highly recommend). I was a HUGE fan until the anti-law enforcement section in this book on false confessions (implying they are rampant, then going back to the 1970's for a plausible -- and exceptional -- example). If you have not read Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion -- I strongly recommend you spend time with that book first. This book has interesting insights, but the pace at which they are presented is substantially watered down compared to his earlier work and the extrapolations from psychological study to real world application are a bit stretched and less convincing.

First of all this book is way over priced- the store should have priced it under $5 to reflect the quality. I would not say the same about books on behavioral economics by authors such as Dan Ariely.

I think the author has definitely used pre-suation techniques to benefit himself by selling this book but lacks the capacity to explain in simple, plain English, and in an interesting manner to others.

This is one of the most vacuous books I've read this year. The author does everything to extend the page count, e.g. endnotes and references written in a large font take up almost 200 pages! Endless personal filler-anecdotes introduce the chapters and often the anecdotes are all we get. Do we really believe that one of the regrets the author has in life was to have missed a ballet performance? Do we care? Here is another anecdote: If you position your writing desk in different places, your writing will be different. Sorry, that turned out to be the main point of a chapter. Interesting idea, but I expect some research findings that strengthen the arguments. (Advice to author: If you write an anecdote, don't include yet another side-story inside the anecdote itself.)

I would have liked a stronger discussion of evidence. Nobel Prize winner Kahneman as well as others have questioned the stream of research highlighted in the book. The author's pre-suasion is called priming by social psychologists. The red color on the book cover will energise you. If you see a bunch of pennies, you will get more stingy. If you see something pleasant, you will become more pleasant. Is this really true? What is the effect size? If they just thought about Valentine's Day, middle-aged men would help a pretty 17 year old girl. Again, what is the effect size? How long does the effect last? Given the large amount of discredited findings in social psychology, it would have been proper to discuss his evidence. There is not a single comment in the book about all the faked-research scandals in the field. Researchers have cast doubt on the findings having any long lasting effect. Sadly, the author considers all this uninteresting or maybe too difficult for his intended reader. (Advice to author: Have some confidence in your readers mental ability. Your target audience is not likely to be gullible, poorly educated people. Sorry, given the many glowing five star reviews you might focus on gullible, poorly educated people.)

One chapter asks whether it is ethical to publish a book containing a lot of powerful techniques not in the public domain. The author must be kidding. There is hardly anything in the book. One of the techniques is to personalise the message. Use "you" instead of "people" if you are writing ad copy. Powerful? Probably. New? Certainly not. In another chapter, the author notes that sex sells if the product can be associated with sex. Tight jeans? Yes. Kitchen towel? No. Where is the powerful stuff that is not in the public domain? Why was this chapter included? Probably to increase the page count.

Let me end on a high note. Some interesting ideas:
* Present your ideas like they were solutions to mysteries. People will engage more with detailed information.
* When you write, stop mid-sentence, mid-paragraph, in the middle of an idea. Unfinished ideas are remembered better so you will be more motivated to get back to writing the next day.

Love the concept of pre suasion and its applicability in our day-day. At hindsight looks very common sensical..

The only problem i have is the way sentences are framed through the book.very complex sentences.

Otherwise, it is a must read for all professionals.

Love the concept of pre suasion and its applicability in our day-day. At hindsight looks very common sensical..

The only problem i have is the way sentences are framed through the book.very complex sentences.

Otherwise, it is a must read for all professionals.

I am a big fan of Cialdini's work and bought his book as soon as I read a review on WSJ because I assumed it would be a great read. Actually, I got it on audible not on paper because I wanted it right there and then and I was driving to a conference. Unfortunately, I had to skip over almost every chapter, going to the next one, and the next one, in hope of finding something new. I didn't care about his page fillers with irrelevant details on his academic position - skip - his office at the university - skip - his desk at the university - skip - and I certainly didn't pay money to hear about the queen's jubilee - skip! I was only able to listen to chapter 7 from beginning to end and all that was already known. I wanted to like it.

Dr. Cialdini uses many of the ideas of which I've included in my blog! Great minds think alike! I wrote about choosing words carefully, gaining fascination affects (getting and keeping attention), and my whistle experiment is surely worthy of a pre-suasion technique. I was able to bargain in Mexico just by whistling! If you'd like to learn more then go to: anglesofpersuasion.wordpress.com
You can find out about story-telling and the campaign success of the ALS ice bucket challenge! Learn the power of clichés.

Dr. Cialdini is and has been revolutionary in his study and research into social influence. A highly sought after speaker worldwide, we have been fortunate to have him address our medical staffs of several hospitals at our annual retreat in the past. Our Chief of Staff has used his ideas in his classic "The Art of Influence" to challenge and effectively lead and motivate our medicall leaders. His work has been touted over and over again as exceptional in the field. Now with the latest work, Pre-Suasion, he once again breaks through with new ideas that challenge and shape how we think about social influence! The man is a genius and his work monumental. The ideas expressed in his latest work will no doubt help anyone in any field to be much more successful in effectively influencing their audience and setting the preface for a positive outcome in negotiations no matter what the topic.

I could not put this book down and read it cover to cover! I highly recommend it!!

Norm Saba, M.D., FAAP
Member, American Board of Pediatrics
Past Chief of Pediatrics, Cardon Children's
Private practice pediatrician

When I first opened the book, I had two thoughts. One, there's so much documented research on this topic in the reference section at the back that it has the gravitas of an academic paper. And two, thankfully this is Bob Cialdini writing so I know he'll distill all this information down in a readable, actionable fashion.

What I've loved about his past work is that he relates his area of study to the reader's real world. He anchors his work in actual situations you'll face in your own life. This book is no different.

If you work in any sort of consensus building line of work where you're tasked with bridging the divide between various stakeholders, the book is a quick read and will be immediately relatable. I particularly liked the discussion of privileged moments. These are the instances when a prospect's attention is focused on a decision to be made. How you, as the presuader, frame that moment creates the background of options that the listener will choose from. It's like a flash going off before you take the picture. You can direct the light in any number of ways to fashion the desired photo.

Coming from a marketing and writing background, I sometimes bristle at the increasing algorithmic nature of modern communications. But after reading this book, I feel more inclined to embrace the scientific backup Cialdini provides in his work. I've always thought the right word could be crucial in persuasion. I've always thought the frame of mind you put someone in before you present your argument was just as important as your argument itself. And I've always thought something as simple as puffy clouds or pennies could make someone focus on a sofa's either comfort or affordability. To me, that was the art of persuasion. Now, I have the science in this book to back it up.

this book starts of strong following in the footsteps of influence. it presents a strong list of studies backing various steps involved in pre-suasion. however, halfway through, it starts getting bogged down with all the citations. it never recovers from beginning to sound like a psychology journal and does not get to the specific steps one can employ for "Pre-suasion". if you are looking for light reading making you more aware of how the external environment including marketers, tv, movies, salespeople, etc employ these tactics then you should buy this. if you are looking for some guidelines to use pre-suasion in your daily life you"ll probably walk away disappointed.

Although I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the book, it sat on my desk for a week or two. After all, I thought, as I sipped my cappuccino, is there anything new that Cialdini, the master student of persuasion could teach me? Had he not covered everything there is to cover.

Last night, however, I cracked the book open and took a peak. And much to my surprise, I discovered that he has plenty new to teach us. While we, his students have been imbibing and regurgitating Cialdini's six principle's of persuasion, his brilliant and curious mind has been moving on to cover new and indispensably valuable territory.

I could not put the book down and am even a little miffed that I did not start reading it right away.

It's an absolute must read for... well... just about anybody!

More than 30 years ago, a psychology professor at Arizona State University named Robert Cialdini wrote a book that, like most other books, quickly and quietly sank beneath the relentless waves of new releases. But then, a few years later, Influence: Science and Practice resurfaced, buoyed by the growing interest in the mashup of psychology and economics now called behavioral economics. An eager audience of marketing and sales pros, including, ironically, the very “peddlers, fundraisers, and operators of one sort or another” whom Cialdini had been hoping to arm his readers against, ate it up. Influence, with its six principles explaining how others get us to do what they want, went on to sell more than 2 million copies.

Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Infl uence and Persuade is an intellectual prequel to Influence. It explores an insight that came to Cialdini when he “infiltrated the training programs of a broad range of professions dedicated to getting us to say yes.” While shadowing top-performing professionals in such fields as sales, direct marketing, corporate recruiting, and frontline management, he discovered that “the best persuaders become the best through pre-suasion — the process of arranging for recipients to be receptive to a message before they encounter it.”

There was, for instance, the fi re-alarm system salesman whose behavior puzzled Cialdini. This guy forgot something in his car on every appointment, and always remembered it while the homeowners were completing a knowledge assessment. He would ask permission to leave and reenter the house, often getting handed a door key in the process. “Think, Bob,” the salesman eventually explained to the author. “Who do you let walk in and out of your house on their own? Only somebody you trust, right? I want to be associated with trust in those families’ minds.”

Cialdini found that the most effective persuaders are, like the alarm sales rep, experts at channeling our attention in order to create what he calls privileged moments — “identifiable points in time when an individual is particularly
receptive to a communicator’s message.” It is possible to create these moments, research reveals, because we not only assign undue levels of importance to whatever captures our attention at a certain point in time, but also assign causality to it. This explains why CEOs get outsized credit for the success of their companies — and also why they make such satisfying scapegoats when disaster strikes. “The person at the top,” says Cialdini, “is visually prominent, psychologically salient, and hence, assigned an unduly causal role in the course of events.”

Channeling our attention, it turns out, is not all that difficult, even in this age of the smartphone and constant interruption. In fact, three attention attractors reliably cut through the fog: sex, violence, and (perhaps more appropriately for managers) novelty. Pavlov’s dogs, Cialdini points out, didn’t always salivate when the bell rang. When visitors arrived at Pavlov’s lab to witness the reflexive drooling, the bell didn’t produce the desired result. Pavlov gained a new insight: The strangers triggered an “investigatory reflex” in the dogs, a reflex more powerful than the dinner bell.

Further, once something attracts our attention, a number of “magnetizers” can be used to hold it in place. These include self-relevant cues, like the word you; unfinished ideas or tasks, which stymie our desire for cognitive closure; and, as the enduring popularity of a 130-year-old consulting detective named Sherlock Holmes testifies, mysteries. Why not simply deliver your message as soon as you have created a privileged moment? “The communicator who can fasten an audience’s focus on the favorable elements of an argument,” explains Cialdini, “raises the chance that the argument will go unchallenged by opposing points of view, which get locked out of attention as a consequence.”

Cialdini offers many more tips and tactics in this handbook on the ways and means of pre-suasion, which managers can and should use to become more effective influencers. But he also devotes considerable effort to persuading us to wield pre-suasion in an ethical manner. Surprisingly, Cialdini considers and rejects the idea that the risk of getting caught is a compelling enough reason to avoid devious practices, because studies show that “uncomfortably large numbers of [senior business leaders] are willing to undertake misconduct anyway.” Instead, he focuses on the organizational consequences, citing his own research, which reveals that companies that condone and use deceitful
tactics raise the risks of an implosion triggered by poor employee performance, high employee turnover, and employee fraud and malfeasance.

The bottom line in the best business book of the year on management: Pre-suaders are more effective influencers, and they reap what they sow.

The author presents many methods to increase sales, by influencing the state of mind of a potential buyer before making an offer. These methods are presented with many convincing examples proving that they work and once you know about them are easy to practice.

These methods are powerful tools that can be used and abused. They are useful for persons that want to sell more and for skeptical buyers that will recognize when a salesman is setting the scene. It can be abused to get people to buy things at prices that are too high, involve high risks and poor value.

Of course everybody is exposed to advertising, Internet sales, TV advertising that all concentrate on the presenting benefits to the potential buyers. Fortunately there is competition. That is the reality

On balance I recommend the book because of the two benefits, helping salesmen to sell more, and teaches clients to be aware when they are being manipulated.

The methods described are not unethical. You can't expect a salesman to point to the merits of competing products even though these might represent better value for money. At the same time using these methods to get people to buy products that they later discover were not properly presented as happened with financial products leading to the great recession in 2008 can lead and did lead to fines and reputational damage. Responsible leaders of organizations need to be aware about the methods and arguments used by their salesmen and that include acceptable and responsible setting of the scenes.

Don’t just approach your sales and communications like the stereotypical bull in a china shop, you may get more by careful persuasion and winning someone on-side before you then reel them in with the “hard sell”. This is the key thesis of this book, showing the art of effective persuasion that is achieved by not just changing “minds” but by changing “states of minds” too.

The author is an acclaimed social psychologist and he has developed techniques that he believes will turn people into master persuaders, built around extensive and diverse studies. The techniques can be platform-neutral, that is to say they can be used in any form, whether it is face-to-face communications or even online. It made for an interesting read, even if it felt a bit hard-going at times due to the sheer amount of information being funnelled to the reader. One could imagine the techniques being deployed in so many situations where you want to influence opinion; it is a lot more than just a way to short-circuit the sales process. The book’s knowledge may have you totally rethinking how you communicate with others, even in situations where you have no desired goal or objective.

The reader is taken carefully and expertly through the whole science behind the stated techniques and given a lot of advice about identifying a need and implementing the techniques into real-world situations.

As you would expect, there is also a mass of further reading suggestions and source materials listed at the end of the book. You can certainly dig deeper and follow much of the author’s thought processes. This is a book you need to assign time to if you want to get the most out of it. There is no quick route to change and you really don’t want to rush things either. A credible transition may take time.

It felt as if this book has a lot of potential in so many areas than just business. Definitely something to consider, especially if you don’t perceive a direct need to improve your communications as, after all, maybe you are in denial! Strongly recommended.

Author Cialdini was the Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and a visiting professor of marketing, business and psychology at Stanford University. He rose to fame because of his first book, ‘Influence’, in which he identified six psychological principles that were being routinely used in businesses that dealt with influencing people. ‘Influence’ was bolstered by valuable evidence from scientific and social psychological research into successful persuasion.
This book’s significance lies in its science-based evidence of not just what best to say to persuade, but when best to say it. The focus of this book is what effective communicators do before delivering a message, to get that message through.
The legitimate merits of your message are never enough to get it accepted, any more than the finest seeds can grow in stony soil. Pre-suasion is the psychological framework in which your message is placed to carry even greater weight.
Consider this example as an introduction to the line of thinking.
Clearly, the tactic of mentioning an admittedly unrealistic price tag for a job won’t win you the business; many other factors are involved, but it almost always eliminates challenges to the price.
Research shows that the amount of money people are prepared to spend on dinner went up when the restaurant was named Studio 97, as opposed to Studio 17. After drawing a set of long lines on a sheet of paper, college students estimated the length of the Mississippi River as much greater than those who had just drawn a set of short lines. People buying wine were more likely to purchase a German vintage if, before their choice, they’d heard a German song playing on the shop’s sound system.
An extraordinarily successful home fire-alarm salesman always conducted his sales in people’s homes. A key to his success was an odd technique he always used to establish an aura of trust with the family. “Trust is one of those qualities that leads to compliance with requests, provided that it has been planted before the request is made,” Cialdini explains. In each sales situation he would apologize that he had forgotten something in his car, then get up, fetch it and enter the house again. His rationale: “Who do you let walk in and out of your house on their own? Only somebody you trust, right? I want to be associated with trust in those families’ minds.” He simply arranged to be treated as one of these trusted individuals.
Many people believe that the approach needs to be different in their profession, ignoring what is the same. The process of persuasion is governed by psychological laws, which means that similar procedures can produce similar results over a wide range of situations, Cialdini explains.
There are specific identifiable moments, when an individual is particularly receptive to a communicator’s message. If you were asked if you were stubborn, you automatically begin searching your memory for times when you’d acted stubbornly, and you would almost certainly identify an instance. If on the other hand, you were labelled quite flexible, someone who is prepared to change her mind after getting new information, you would find instances of this, too. The reason for deciding if a description of oneself is true or false, involves looking for confirmation of the idea rather than for contradiction. This is because it is easier to register the presence of something than its absence.
When researchers asked people “Do you consider yourself a helpful person?” nearly everyone answered yes. “In that privileged moment—after subjects had confirmed privately and affirmed publicly their helpful natures—the researchers requested help with their survey. 77.3% volunteered,” Cialdini reports. Without the question, only 29% agreed to help with the survey.
What people give attention to is, obviously, of immediate importance to them. However, it is also considered, even unduly, to be an important issue. This is because of the human tendency to assign undue levels of importance to an idea as soon as one’s attention is turned to it.
Two weeks before the anniversary of 9/11, about 30% of respondents had named 9/11 as an especially important event. As the anniversary drew closer, and the media treatment intensified, 65% of survey respondents started identifying 9/11 as an especially important event. People believe that if the media (or the public,) has paid attention to an idea or event or pop-group, it must be important enough to warrant the consideration.
In not too dissimilar a way, attentional-focus leads to the appearance of causality. Economists, Cialdini believes, are prone to this bias because the monetary aspects of a situation dominate their attention and analysis. Economist Felix Oberholzer-Gee approached people waiting in line at several different locations, and offered them money to let him in front of them. 50% of everyone offered $1 let him in, as did 65% of those offered $3, and 76%, when offered $10.
This is not surprising except that almost no one took the money! To explain this, Oberholzer-Gee ignored the economic factors in favour of the moral obligation most people feel to help those in need. The need was deemed stronger by what the line-jumper was prepared to pay.
Elements such as money that attract our attention, don’t just appear more important, they also appear more causal, Cialdini explains. In the same vein, when observers asked to judge who had more influence in a discussion, based on tone, content, and direction, the results were the same: whoever’s face was more visible, was judged to be more influential. We see the cause in what attracts our attention.
With the array of powerful insights Cialdini has gathered, the question must be asked about the ethical use of pre-Pre-Suasive techniques. Chapter 13 addresses this concern cogently. Undoubtedly the unethical will use this knowledge unethically, until they get caught. However, with this information made known to consumers, those who behave unethically will be identified. Onerous penalties for that behaviour, will be inflicted by now more-aware customers – avoiding doing business with the unethical.
That said, the real value of this book to a wide range of people in business, lies in the understanding that it doesn’t take much to enhance the effectiveness of communication. Sun Tzu wrote, “Every battle is won before it is fought.” That is the value of pre-planning, and the value of understanding the insights of Pre-Suasion.
Read this book, you will be pleased you did. It works to prevent falling prey to the unethical, and as a guide to how you can become more persuasive – ethically.

Readability Light ---+- Serious
Insights High +---- Low
Practical High -+--- Low
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works.

Another excellent book by the top expert on influence. The material here is not new but a compendium of tips and techniques that can help set someone up to be persuaded. Cialdini writes in an accessible manner and in fact gives his writing as an example of pre-suaded effect. He give lots of other examples of how individuals can pre-suade others and themselves. For example, a photo of a runner winning a race can motivate achievement; photos of the customers you are trying to help can keep their perspective in mind. The important thing is to grab someone's attention before the next step with the right technique. Cialdini notes how things that have attention are seen as both important and causal. There is a very interesting discussion on how this affects interrogations and how who you can see during a conversation can have a perception of cause and control. The information is fascinating and should help people who make presentations make more powerful and influential presentations. I myself will try to incorporate some of the techniques into my next presentation. Cialdini has written another book on persuasion where he lists the major persuasion factors-- reciprocity, authority, etc. He outlines them here again and includes the obligatory don't use these in an unethical manner chapter.

Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip Dilbert, wrote quite passionately on the merits of this book in his blog, which presuaded me to read it. Cialdini presents an interesting mix, mostly anecdotes but some research as well, showing how it is possible to influence buy-in decisions by preframing the context in advance of the main argument. Most of the examples relate to sales or political persuasion.

Cialdini admits are two ways to read this material. One is as an advisory warning, the other is as a tactical guide. A third possible reading is as an after the fact explanation. I found the writing both interesting and enjoyable.

I'm hard to please but this book was pretty good. I got a little bored with the constant references to studies, it felt like he was trying to prove every word when half of it was stuff I already believed.

Thorough, if nothing else. But that's not a bad thing really, just a warning that if you get bored quickly you'll skip through a lot of this book.

On that note, I'd say skip his Influence book entirely, this is basically all that with more emphasis on the setup of persuasion.

All that said, you'll learn a few things that will change the way you think about persuasion, and that's worth the money. Get yourself a month's subscription to Audible and the audiobook will only cost you the $15 monthly fee.

One of the first things I noticed was that there are nearly 200 pages of references, etc. at the end - more to add volume than to edify. We get lots of anecdotes about what works/worked here, there and other situations, but never anything generalizable or replicated to any degree. It very quickly become very hard to read, given his failure to provide a credible foundation.

This is Robert Cialdini’s second book written many years after his bestseller Influence. In many ways, the second book builds upon the first one focusing on the importance of the situation, attention, and timing of the events the preclude the moment when we want to persuade or influence someone or a group. The first part focuses on the importance of holding attention since its human tendency to give importance and assign causality to that which holds our attention. In one instance the author describes the fact that a way to hold on to our attention is not to complete the job, leaving it midway or mid-paragraph as in the case of a writer will be a motivating force to get closure and hold our attention.

Cialdini then dives into the six concepts that empower influence that he outlines in his first book these being Reciprocity, Liking, Social proof, Authority, Scarcity, and Consistency. He then goes on to elaborate a seventh principle broadly called Unity. Unity is then explained as a broad concept that encompasses kinship, belonging to a city, geography, clan, acting together in common purpose and that bringing out this broad concept of acting in unison is a powerful motivator to influence people. The last and final section goes thru the ethics of using the above principles and not misusing them. The author goes on to show that unethical application will get you results and desired impact but only for a short duration at the expense of long-term detriment to yourself, the team and the organization. The book is well researched and annotated with on their of the pages full of references and notes. I do not advise buying the book but certainly, worth a read especially if available in your library.

I couldn't wait to get back in the car to hear with Robert Cialdini would say next. Pre-Suasion helps you prepare your audience for what you're doing to say next. Taking that one extra step and truly thinking it through has resulted in better communications for me and much more natural, back-and-forth conversations with others. If you think that thinking differently about your own style might help, don't hesitate to spend time with this work.

The book is about the importance of focus and preparing the ground before you influence. I have read Influence by Cialdini as well and this book comes across as a deeper dive into those influencing tactics. The author says the big difference between the two is - “The earlier book was written to inform consumers how to resist influence attempts employed in an undue or unwelcome way.” The objective of Pre-suation according to author is - “It became plain that, more than just learning how to deflect or reject it, large numbers of people are ravenously interested in learning how to harness persuasion”

The book starts by re-establishing how trust is one of the major factors in sales. If I don’t trust you, I won’t buy from you. What is a good time (high time) to ask. In chapter what focal is casual the author talks about – out of sight, out of mind tactic. The author also talks about agenda setting role of media, which is very relevant considering we just had elections in USA.

My favorite example is from Chapter 4 – What’s focal is causal - Page # 201 - “First, find the camera in the room, which will usually be above and behind the police officer. Second, move your chair. Position yourself so that the recording of the session will depict your face and your questioner’s face equally. Don’t allow the what’s-focal-is-presumed-causal effect to disadvantage you at trial.” – While I don’t agree fully and doubt if you can move that chair, but if it’s true, it’s phenomenal. I also liked the beer garden example on page # 259 and came to know about Zeigarnik effect.

The book also explores questions like - What can be done by a sales organization or advertising agency, to put you in the right frame of mind to accept the methods taught in the book Influence?
How can survey questions be asked so that the answer to a follow up question can be answered in a far more beneficial (for the person asking) way? The idea of "Consistency" is explained in detail in Cialdini’s book Influence. That idea of consistency is utilized quite a lot in the examples in this book.

Perhaps, this can be attributed to my Marketing background and love for the book Thinking fast and slow by Kahneman (Cialdini praises him in Pre-suation), that I think some of what he writes is common knowledge now, and some subject can be attended with less pages, such as, sex sells violence sells, “anything that draws focused attention to itself can lead observers to overestimate its importance. (page # 107)” aka Crying baby gets the milk.

Overall, the book is a dense read, meaning that I had to read every page a couple of times to absorb it all. The insight exhibited by the author in this book is deep, and a quick read won't serve you well. This is a book (Like the author's first) that you study. And if you are in sales or marketing, you study it often.

Just as I anticipate a great trip or a favorite concert, I have been anxiously awaiting Robert Cialdini's latest book. He is the master on effective and ethical persuasion, and always comes up with a creative and intellectually clever take on influencing people. Pre-Suasion is yet another remarkable addition to the Cialdini Bible on Persuasion. Not only are his lessons educational, but more importantly they are entirely fun to read. When a book is equally appealing as a textbook and an entertaining way to expand one's mind and perspective, you know it is a winner. Buy two copies of this book - one for yourself and the other for a family member who you want to treat to hours of provocative and enlightening insights.
Jonathan Kempner, Washington, DC

Brilliant. (presuasive cue). This is the most informative book on persuasion I've ever read. Robert Cialdini is the guru of persuasion. This book includes a recap of the basic principles of persuasion from his first book and embeds it in a wealth of information and examples about the importance and effectiveness of short-term cues that direct attention. Each chapter is loaded with practical suggestions for getting people to do what you want them to, each suggestion supported by theory and documented with research. (The end notes section is as long as the text of the book). I found myself limiting my reading to a chapter at a time as there was so much to absorb in each chapter. As a business school professor, I was thrilled to see chapter 13 which provides evidence of the long-term harm associated with an unethical culture. l'll be reading it many more times before I've squeezed all of the juice out of it. And, by the way, the book is very well-written, fun to read, and accessible to anyone. I've found my go-to Christmas gift for this year.

This is a great book on influence and really addresses how priming a situation can make all the difference in influencing others. What we say and do prior to a situation can have great results rather than just presenting a recited sales pitch, for example. Great research and examples make this a solid 5-Stars.

Like me, you have dreams, desires and goals that can be fulfilled by getting other folks to come together with you. Because we need other folks, it's important to understand what gets us to say "Yes." Robert Cialdini, in PRESUASION: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade, shows that how you set the table will impact the appetite and tastes of your guests. From the importance of building kinship to the risks of watching late-night infomercials (when, like me, you're too tired to think clearly), Cialdini offers insights into our hearts, reams of validating research, and the occasional apt cartoon to promote your vision in everything from having an honest workplace to falling in love. It's like a 3-D, technicolor remake of HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE.

I have enjoyed Dr. Cialdini's work on influence for many years, and regard him as one of the preeminent researchers and writers in this field of psychology. Pre-Suasion follows on as a prequel to his other works, in that it looks at the prerequisites for the influence process. Thoughtful, insightful , and full of very informative anecdotes, Pre-Suation is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the psychology of influence. As with all of his work on this topic, the ethical application of the psychology of influence is always near the surface. A great read and another valuable contribution to the field for the curious reader through to the hard core professional. Highly recommended.

This book extends the work Cialdini began with Influence, his first book. As usual, he masterfully strings together behavioral science research, personal anecdotes and clear takeaways to produce a compelling work. The notion that a listener can be prepared to be persuaded is fascinating, and Cialdini makes his case well. The book is supported by a lengthy references and end notes section which helps to substantiate Cialdini's claims. This is a highly recommended read, even if one has not read Influence.

The book doesn't completely persuade, but it does make you think about how many chances you've blown in your life just because the other person wasn't in the right frame of mind to hear what you had to say. Unfortunately the author considers behavioral psychology a real science rather than a collection of clever anecdotes, and relies on some _really_ questionable studies even a non-specialist would be able to shoot giant holes through. Heck, he even admits to it in several places throughout the book. So take it for what it's worth: an argument for not ignoring the moments _before_ you speak, and treat the studies with a large grain of salt.

The book was well written, pretty clear, and decorated with quite a few funny jokes or anecdotes. I also found delicious that the points to take home were often exemplified our written in ways that were easy to hilight for later review.

Masterful. Well researched. Logical and insightful conclusions from a "street-wise" academic. I eagerly anticipated this book after studying and successfully applying the tenets of his excellent book "Infuence". After reading and now returing to study and absorb the strategies and tactics in Pre-suasion, I can see how Cialdini's new book will be even more applicable. I previously recommended two books to newly minted MBAs who work for me (Influence, and Getting More); I now have a third.

If you deserve to have good influences in your life, get a copy of "Pre- suasion" - because It is a treasure chest of insights and careful research that can be used every day to reach people and affect behavior. Dr. Cialdini conveys his knowledge and designs the message like no one else - this is a thoroughly enjoyable and essential book for all of us who seek to be effective.

The book is generally entertaining and informative, though not as ground-breaking as Influence. The impact of pre-suasion has been identified elsewhere and is commonly practiced by marketers. Much of the book will seem familiar to readers who follow social psych and behavioral economics books and online courses. The anecdotes about academic life are amusing (e.g., the way he was "influenced" to teach an MBA course during his sabbatical, by the principle of reciprocity -- and it's eye-opening to see how notable academics "negotiate" their visiting terms). However, four pages in this book - 122-126, together with the related footnote, seem disturbing.

“[T]he process of growing old” is described in very negative terms, mostly physical: “erode your ability to see, hear and think clearly…dulled sense of taste…compromised digestive system…vulnerable to an array of other afflictions, such as coronary heart issue, stroke, atherosclerosis, pneumonia, arthritis and heart disease.”

These “afflictions” affect people who are quite old and often near death. Many older people suffer more from the misguided efforts of the medical profession to address these conditions than from the conditions themselves. Medical intervention doesn’t always extend mortality or raise quality of life. In fact, some research suggests that diagnosis of diabetes after 65 doesn’t affect mortality. See Gilbert Welch's book, Overdiagnosed.

Cialdini goes on to say that, “on average elderly individuals experience significant losses…yet they don’t let the declines undermine their happiness.” He cites one set of research studies, yet refers to “seniors,” not “seniors in the study.”

In his footnote, he does note that the “positivity paradox doesn’t usually extend into the very last phases of life…” because at that point the elderly lose control of their lives. They're forced to live in sterile environments. He doesn't note the very real possibility of mistreatment and abuse that's common to inmates of rehab centers, nursing homes and even sometimes in assisted living.

Yet considerable research as well as evidence from practicing physicians suggests that depression is significant among the old and younger old. For just one book, see Out of Practice, by Frederick M Barken. Reported incidence of depression among seniors varies widely, possibly due to measurement flaws and motivation of the medical provider to prescribe drugs. Few resources exist to help seniors, except those of exceptional wealth with strong family advocates.

The tendency to focus on the good in a marriage may be related to length of time in a marriage, rather than to age, and may be a coping mechanism rather than a successful mood orientation.

Age discrimination takes a huge toll. Many older people are able and willing to work. While a 70-year-old can be president of the US, a competent person over 50 will have trouble finding an ordinary responsible job; at 60, the options dwindle to jobs like greeter at big box store. Older people often are treated with rudeness and condescension. Not all have spouses or siblings who can be sources of support and advocacy. People who experience these realities have every reason to be “grumpy” — an ageist term that should not appear in the pages of a psychology book. Images of cheerful, tolerant elders are as harmful to the aging population as images of happy slaves were to the treatment of African-Americans.

I’d suggest reading Never Say Die, by Susan Jacoby, for a realistic view of the aging experience, and also Goddesses Never Age by Christiane Northrup, about the possibility of aging in good health. Northrup is optimistic but does not dismiss the realities of age discrimination and stereotypes. Read Mary Pipher's Another Country (which has become somewhat dated due to weaker family structures in the western world).

Dr. Cialdini has done it again and continues to provide me with the most powerful tools I need to be a more effective person. While the principles discussed in his books are geared primarily towards business, they can easily be applied to other areas as well.

While many have explained how to influence, Dr. Cialdini is the only one who expresses what can be done to pre-suade, which is something of high importance. I look forward to using the “privileged moments” and other practices from Pre-Suasion in all aspects of my life, and highly recommend this book.

Dissapointed, surprised, chagrined. The author goes to extreme length to cite studies, etc going back 20 years, personal filler pages of his life,
Show me the wisdom. Teach me what I don't know, say it in words we all understand.
Found myself turning past pages to discover the main point. Dissapointed.

Cialdini fails to articulate messages in simpler messages and uses complicated wording coupled with scientific research to express his views. Moreover, if you read his examples of evidence, you begin to wonder if those are one-off cases and enough to become a principle for proof.

The world is moving towards less complexity, Dr Cialdini.

This new book by Dr. Cialdini has been incredibly helpful to me in communicating important information to my patients. I can't think of a better tool I have come across for those that want to better understand how their clients think about their decisions. His commitment to the ethical application of influence carries through in this new work. There are also great updates regarding the use of his principles of persuasion outlined in his first book, Influence.
Truly a must read.

Not a review but I didn't like the fact that the book suggest that it's 430 plus pages long. however, it's only around 233 pages long. There is 100 pages of reference list and 68 pages of notes commentary. That is quite a misleading marketing to suggest there's more in depth info than it is. I'll revise this review after reading it.

I'm going to give this book 3-stars because I don't want to give it just 2. But it deserves 2-stars if I'm honest since I don't particularly like it. The author's writing style didn't agree with me. The easiest way to describe the prose is to call it quicksand. As I read the book from cover to cover I didn't gain much from any individual page. The words just went in my eyes and out the back of my head (or maybe out my ears, I don't know). The title says I was supposed to learn about a “revolutionary way” to influence and persuade. Unfortunately I never saw anything in this book that was revolutionary.

The author is known for writing a popular book back in 1984 called “Influence.” the store currently sells a revised and updated version of that book with a copyright of Dec 2006. If you look at the Table of Contents for that book and the TOC for the instant book being reviewed you will find some of the same buzzwords. The author reminds us in the beginning of this book his prior book that was successful. Seemed like he is trying to do some “pre-suading.”

When I finished this book I came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as “pre-suasion.” Influencers don't bifurcate their actions as a pre-, middle-, and post- efforts. They simply do things to influence and persuade others to do something or agree with them. Relationship selling is all about selling. In the beginning you build a relationship with your prospect, then you hose them down when closing the deal. It works this way in nonprofit fundraising, too. These are examples of “pre-suasion.” This is nothing new or revolutionary.

The liberal media has stayed away for a long time from “reporting” the news. Instead they cherry pick ideas, thoughts, opinions (and maybe some facts) as if it is news. The saddest thing is they omit facts that are inconsistent with their own ideas and agendas. And as a result they don't REPORT news anymore. As a result, the service they are supposed to provide to society is lost. Elections are stolen. The ignorant vote for the political party that the media approves of since they have been INFLUENCED and PERSUADED to do so. Nothing new here. And the author in his book's title tries to make it sound as if what the liberal media does is a revolutionary approach. Of course, it's not revolutionary since it's been done for years and years.

Maybe the book could have been salvaged if chapters 4, 10, 13 and 14 were omitted. For me they either didn't make sense or they didn't seem relevant. The other chapters in the book could be streamlined into an ok book on how to influence and persuade. But to bring an ethics discussion into the mix (see chapter 13) and guilt after hosing down prospects (see chapter 14), I didn't see how this fit into the message of the book. Chapters 13 and 14 might be able to be expanded and made into a really worthwhile book? It could focus on the corrupt liberal media that doesn't do its job of reporting the news, as well as the liberal college professors who brainwash their students into thinking the US is a bad place? But including these four chapters that I recommend being omitted accentuates the “quicksandedness” of the author's writing style. Not good. 3 stars!

I ordered the CD. I've not listened to it yet, however it is extremely disappointing to download it to my iTunes library and find that it can't be synced and thus doesn't show up in my iTunes library as nothing more than a series of Track 1, Track 2, Track 3 etc., Does the author and the publisher not realize that to have his audio signature for iTunes listening is important. Suddenly Mr Cialdini's credibility plummeted!