Best Book of the Month: Robert Cialdini – Influence

Welcome to the October edition of our Best Book of the Month series. The book we picked for this month is Robert Cialdini’s New York Times bestseller “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”.

Dr. Robert B. Cialdini is a bestselling author, internationally recognized expert and Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University. He is the President of Influence At Work…

Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence earning him an international reputation as an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation.

Because of the world-wide recognition of Dr. Cialdini’s cutting edge scientific research and his ethical business and policy applications, he is frequently regarded as the “Godfather of influence.”

For our monthly book review we decided to pick a book that has sold over 2 million copies, and has been translated and published in 27 languages. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – has been listed on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Let’s have a look at the animated video below describing the 6 universal principals of persuasion based on Dr. Cialdini’s research.

Best Book of the Month

Robert Cialdini – Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

“A well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do.” – Robert Cialdini

Why should you read “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”?

• Learn the 6 key principles of influence (reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, liking and consensus) in order to understand how they work so that you can apply them in an ethical way in your own marketing strategies & campaigns.

• Understand the core process of decision-making to be able to use the shortcuts in other areas in your life – relationships, health, sports etc.
  

• Another fascinating thing about this book is the fact that Cialdini uses numerous stories and case studies to exemplify his principles. Some of these examples will stick with you forever.
  

• If you read “Influence” you will understand how YOU behave when these principles are (were) applied on you in an ethical or oven unethical way. It’s really cool to consciously experiment what happens when others use these exact same principles on you.

Mastering these six scientifically validated principles of persuasion can lead to big differences in your ability to influence and persuade others in a totally ethical way.

I love this book and the many examples the author uses to describe these universal principles. I’m also very familiar with the book because Cialdini’s essay was the core book for all those who studied Social Psychology at the University of Trier.

Grab a copy of “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” and learn how to use and apply these principals in an ethical way both in business and life.

Feel free to share your thoughts and insights about our best book of the month recommendation.