#robertbcialdini

La copertina: flessibile

Titolo: Le armi della persuasione

Autore: Robert B. Cialdini

Lingua: Italiano

Traduttore: Gabriele Noferi

Data di pubbl.: 2019 (terza ristampa)

Casa Editrice: Giunti Editore - Giunti Psychometrics

Collana: Orizzonti Tascabili

Genere: Psicologia e benessere

Today, I finished Influence by Robert B. Caildini.  I thought it was great but I don't think I'll be giving Robert Cialdini any Berkshire Hathaway stock, like Charlie Munger, after finishing this book.  Anyone can benefit from learning about the six Weapons of Influence- Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take . .  and Take, Commitment and Consistency: Hobgoblins of the Mind, Social Proof: Truths Are Us, Liking: The Friendly Thief, Authority: Directed Deference, and Scarcity: The Rule of the Few.

In each of the six types of influence, I remembered separate instances of falling victim to each of the six tactics.  Remembering these times made me appreciate the sections about learning to say, NO, and to realize when a person is trying to use one of these tactics against you. 

Yesterday, I was reading about laugh tracks in Robert Cialdini's, Influence.  Robert writes about laugh tracks and how everyone he asked about their opinion of canned laugh tracks disliked them.  Then Robert had a question, "If everyone dislikes canned laugh tracks, then why do television executives still place them into shows.  It all had to do with a social proof about wanting to be in on the joke.  It's the idea that a show and jokes are presumed to be funnier when people here canned laughter.  Even though we realize it's stupid and fake.  The research, at the time, showed that canned laughter can help improve performance of all jokes, especially poor ones.  This was all television executives need to hear.  For years, TV executives would insist on putting canned laughter into shows even though the public and the people creating the show didn't want it included.    This made me think of the shows I used to watch growing up in the 90s that either had laugh tracks or were performed in front of a live audience, who were singled to laugh.  I remember the line an actor read just before the show started, "This show was filmed in front of a live studio audience."  It made me think about why don't shows do this anymore.  I imagine a new research study was done saying canned laughter had a negative effect on viewership.  Otherwise we'd still be hearing canned laughter on all our favorite shows over the past few years like Big Bang Theory, The Office, or Modern Family.  A funny idea would be to insert canned laughter into some of the dramas on today like Mad Men or Game of Thrones.  Can you imagine Tyrion Lanister telling a joke and then hearing canned laughter.  Canned laughter was a good example of a business not listening to their customers.  Even though everyone was saying they didn't want canned laughter.  The business kept covering their eyes and quoting a research reports about the positive effects of canned laughter.  Television executives choose to accept the positive aspects of canned laughter but refused the negative aspects which ultimately won.  It's usually a good rule to listen to the marketplace.  They'll usually dictate what they want.

Today, I’m thinking about commitment and about the techniques used to get people and yourself to do what you want.  

The two things I’ve been currently reading and listening to have been talking about goals and the importance of writing down your commitments.  In Zig Ziglar’s Goals, he talks about the importance of writing down your goals and publicly telling people about your goals. Has been proven to help you stick with them.  Then today on the T, I was reading Influence by Robert Cialdini's chapter on commitment and consistency.  Robert talks about how, in the Korean War, the Chinese used commitment and consistency to change the POWs views on communism, China’s involvement in the Korean War, and America.  The Chinese would have the prisoners participate in essay contests, keep journals, write letters home, and copy statements because they could then use these written statements in media reports, against other prisoners, and sway foreign opinion about the Chinese cause.  When the prisoners returned to America, scientists noticed a major shift in there views of the Korean War.  Caldini says his studies have lead him to never sign a petition because of the effect it could have on his future decision making.  

It’s made me think about all the things I’ve signed over my life and how those signatures have altered my judgement.  The further I read, Influence, the more I’m fascinated by the simple tactics that can be used to alter your opinion.  I keep thinking of the ways I’ve feel victim to the ideas in this book.  If your interested in how to get people to do what you want or how to protect yourself against people trying alter your judgement, then you need to read this book.