Napoleon said, “Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.” Not quite as simple as that, but fear and loss still feature prominently. Many people agree that the two most powerful emotions, especially in business, are people’s desire for gain – their controlled greed, as evidenced in the WIIFM factor (“What’s in it for me?”) – and their fear. You can capitalize on such powerful emotions in your messaging.
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Communicators need to develop campaigns to counter the views of people who refuse a vaccine dose guarding them against the dangerous COVID-19 infection and its variants. Such people won’t accept the view that vaccines will be vital to combat the exponential rise of the pandemic. This article contains 12 powerful COVID-19 vaccination persuasion techniques to encourage people to get shots.
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You can tap into powerful, yet background words of influence. Background words can be a simple, but convincing means of influence. This article discusses a case study in Robert Cialdini’s book, Pre-suasion, which looks at the way an outstanding US health service goes to the extent of aligning terms used in internal communication with its corporate healthful values and medical ethics. Their approach works!
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Some people have the happy knack of persuasion – of getting others to do what they want. They seem to do it instinctively while most of us struggle to sway others to our way of thinking. But psychological research has shown that persuasion and influence are more than instinct – you can use it by appealing to some fundamental human drives and needs. There is no doubt that influencing people to like you leads to better business relationships and results.
Read moreAn elevator pitch is the brief summary or pitch relating to your organization, your product or yourself that can be made in about 30 seconds, ie the time it takes to ride in the typical elevator and tell someone your story. Elevator pitches are valuable to senior executives to use in business and sales presentations, speeches and interviews. They are also valuable for interesting someone important to you. For many people, without even realizing ...
Read moreSome people have the happy knack of persuasion – of getting others to do what they want. They seem to do it instinctively while most of us struggle to sway others to our way of thinking. But psychological research has shown that persuasion is more than instinct – you can use it in predictable ways by appealing to a limited set of deeply rooted human drives and needs. Persuasion is governed by basic principles ...
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People repay your favors to them. If you do someone a favor, they feel obliged to repay the favor in some way. People feel a strong obligation to repay favors, gifts, invitations and the like. This powerful principle, applying in every society on earth, stems from the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It is the powerful psychological principle of reciprocity.
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We all have a fundamental need to belong. One way to achieve this is to connect people’s work with outcomes. When people know their work has a meaningful, positive impact on others, they are happier and more productive than those who don’t make a connection. It gives all involved a warm feeling when these initiatives are taken to increase workers’ positive perceptions of the impact of their work. Making workers aware of their job impact is beneficial to all involved.
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People believe an expert. Research consistently shows that the opinion of an expert quoted in mainstream media like a daily newspaper or a national television news program can shift public opinion immediately by up to 5%. Also, findings from the annual Edelman Trust Barometer surveys echo consistently show company technical experts and academic experts are credible sources of information about a company. Therefore, get expert support for your case when persuading.
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People follow the lead of others they respect. They rely heavily on others around them for cues on how to think, feel and act. Experiments in social psychology have confirmed this intuitive characteristic.
Read moreHybrid work looks like continuing to evolve as the way of the future. The concept of a hybrid workplace is
Many organizations have had quite a shake-up due to the pandemic. As a result, some may have had to go
PR is an exhausting field to work in, creatively speaking. As a communication professional, you’re caught between the dry,
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