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Overview

When we are trying to persuade others, what they want is more important than rational arguments. This makes it easier to influence people and get them on your side.

If you are a salesperson or just want to be more convincing, Niall Cassidy shows how with clear instructions on how to get friends and family to believe in your product.

Here are some key points you need to know if you want to make up an alibi: how fortune-tellers work, and how a football club made money by hiring actors.

Big Idea #1: Persuasion is not about logical arguments but about communication and appearance.

Have you ever been in a position where the under-qualified and lazy employee got promoted instead of you? It’s more common than you might think. The reason is that people don’t always make decisions based on logic, so it can be hard to understand why they made those decisions.

It’s because we tend to listen to what we want to hear, rather than what makes logical sense. For example, two people present their ideas about starting a business project at work. One person presents a reasonable argument for taking it slow and steady, while the other is full of enthusiasm but doesn’t provide any real arguments in favor of diving right into it.

The boss will most likely select the second candidate because he was more engaging and enthusiastic about what the boss wanted to hear.

This passage illustrates that the personality of a speaker is more important than the content or rationale. It’s also evident in academic journals, which choose articles to be published based on the author’s reputation and charisma.

The first thing people look at when deciding whether or not to read an article is the name of the author. The second most important factor they consider is the quality of the content. This was proven by a study conducted by a professor who submitted an essay which was utter nonsense, but he mentioned that he had earned his PhD in it. People often reason that someone with a doctorate must be knowledgeable about their subject matter, so many were willing to give his paper serious consideration!

Big Idea #2: Always be warm and friendly and pretend you know what you are talking about.

You just robbed a bank and the police are about to arrest you. Unfortunately, the only person who can help you is someone who no one will believe. Is there any way to make this person appear credible? Surprisingly, yes.

If you want to lie convincingly, make sure that you have enough details and information. This will make it seem like your lies are true.

When you’re making up an alibi for a crime, make sure your accomplice gives a lot of details about what you were doing that day. The more detail the better. If they don’t have enough information to give, act friendly and funny so as not to raise any suspicion.

A study was done where an actor pretended to be a well-informed professor. The “professor” gave a talk that was repetitive and even included contradictory statements, but the audience stated it was highly informative because of his warm and friendly nature and funny anecdotes.

Big Idea #3: Influence others by simplifying and organizing information so it’s easier to understand.

So far we have talked about how to be more persuasive. In this key point, we’ll look at how businesses can be more persuasive.

If you are a salesperson, you should limit your customers to two options. You want to give them the opportunity to compare and contrast their choices so they can make an informed decision. If they have too many options, it’s easy for them to be overwhelmed.