Persuasion remains one of the most important psychological tools that push people to perform specific actions. An American scholar, Robert Cialdini, identified six principles of persuasion. These principles are liking, reciprocity, social proof, consistency, authority, and scarcity (Cialdini, 2001). In this paper, one specific direction, namely liking, will be addressed. In addition, it will be examined how social psychological principles of persuasion are relevant to the principle of respect. Also, the characteristics of the communicator will be identified. Then, the paper will contain a plan on how to enhance persuasiveness using alternative principles. At the end of the article, ethical issues related to the information provided will be discussed.
Liking is one of the essential principles of persuasion. The principle of appreciation implies the idea that people tend to be influenced by those who they like or find attractive (Orji, Mandryk, & Vassileva, 2015). It is based on several factors, such as similarity, compliments, and mutual goals. Cialdini, in his work “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion,” narrates the Tupperware party as one of the examples of how the principle of liking works in practice. Usually, hosts of the party invite their friends, colleagues, and relatives to their apartment to demonstrate products for sale. Typically, these products are purchased by the guests at the end of the demonstration. However, the guests buy the goods not because they need them but because they like the host of the party (Cialdini, 2001). It is crucial to notice that even though the principle of liking yields positive results, all the other principles of persuasion are also relevant and used in collaboration with each other.
Thus, it is difficult to use the principle of liking without the principle of reciprocity. It is especially noticeable in the example of demonstration parties. As it was mentioned above, guests purchase products during these parties primarily because they are attracted by the hosts. However, in this case, the principle of reciprocity also plays a significant role. The invited guests are treated by hosts in a reasonable manner and enjoy delicious food that is usually cooked and served by the hosts. As a result, at the end of the demonstration, they want to thank the organizers of the party and buy the products in order to show their appreciation.
It would be a mistake to suggest that all the other principles of persuasion are not relevant to the direction of liking. By continuing to analyze the example of demonstration parties, it becomes clear that the focus of social proof also brings an impact. Thus, if one of the guests decided to buy a product, others also try to do the same. In addition, if a party is visited by experts who can answer the questions and prove the benefits of the products by showing appropriate documentation, the demand is further increasing (Goodman-Delahunty, & Howes, 2016). It is ensured by authority, which is another principle of persuasion. The rareness of the product and consistency, which implies the commitments of people, also lead to enhancing effectiveness and, in the case of product sales, an increase in sales revenue. Therefore, as we can see, all the principles collaborate in close connection and are relevant to the direction of liking.
It is logical to suggest that in order to utilize all the principles of persuasion, one has to be a good communicator. A good communicator should possess a number of characteristics, such as a positive attitude, clear diction, and appropriate language style (Arisetiyani, & Yuliasry, 2017). In addition, a successful communicator should have the ability to control both his or her own emotions, as well as the feelings of the audience. It is a crucial factor that helps to bring people into emotional comfort when it is easier to reach persuasion. Moreover, a persuader should be able to provide a guarantee or evidence that proves his or her argument in order to achieve public trust (Arisetiyani, & Yuliasry, 2017). It is also worth mentioning that a good speaker should be able to choose an appropriate audience. The audience should have minimum interest or curiosity in the message that is provided by the communicator so he or she would be able to develop it and reach persuasion.
Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a survey or research before starting communication taking into account situational and contextual factors. Situational factors include certain life conditions that may affect people’s behavior, such as illnesses, socio-economic levels, or divorces. Contextual factors show certain circumstances that need to be taken into account to achieve persuasion. It includes organizational, relational, cultural, and communicative peculiarities of the audience (Romenti, Murtarelli, Miglietta, & Gregory, 2019). Therefore, it is necessary to analyze all these factors to make sure that the main questions raised in the communicator’s message are topical for the public. The communicator should prepare the news for the audience in advance, making it clear, coherent, and logical. To maintain the interest of the people, it should also contain intriguing facts and evidence that support the argument.
Nowadays, in the conditions of constant changes, successful communicators must develop their persuasive skills. Every communicator should have his or her own plan to enhance these skills. The program should be created in accordance with the communicators’ abilities, achievements, experience, and competencies. I think that the best plan that would enhance persuasiveness consists of five steps. First of all, the collection of all the relevant information about products, ideas, or services, which are subjects of persuasion. Second, gathering all the relevant information about the target audience, taking into account situational and contextual factors. Third, the preparation of a compelling message for the public based on evidence, scientific facts, graphics, and other research data. Then, the formulation of answers for all the possible arguments and issues that may happen during the speech. In addition, I think that honesty and responsibility are two other principles that should be followed to achieve effective persuasion. It is significant, to be honest with the public and never exaggerate facts, so it would not lead to people’s disappointment and loss of reputation. I would also add that it is crucial to continually develop personal skills and attend public speaking training to enhance persuasiveness.
Unfortunately, sometimes, it can be challenging to gather all the necessary information as there might be some obstacles in the way of communicators. Ethical issues remain the central barrier on the way to collecting characteristics of people. Some individuals do not want to share information about their diseases or personal life with others. Moreover, due to confidentiality, this information cannot be disseminated by state institutions. Therefore, persuaders should be especially careful while gathering and storing information so they would not violate the rules of confidentiality and avoid data leakage to outsiders.
Taking into account all the information mentioned above, it is logical to suggest that persuasive skills can be applied to both personal and professional fields of people’s lives. It might be utilized for people of literally all professional backgrounds. It might be professors at the universities who need to motivate their students or sales managers who have to fulfill their sales plans. On a personal level, it might be mothers who need to persuade their children to eat broccoli to grow up. I would also use the insight about the importance of persuasiveness to move forward professionally, as, in every specialization, it is helpful to understand the peculiarities of people’s psychology. I will try to attend public speaking training and stick to my plan created to enhance my persuasive skills.
Therefore, it can be concluded that persuasion is one of the most important psychological tools that is used in many areas of expertise. There are a number of principles of influence, and usually, they work in close connection, following each other, as was shown in the example of demonstration parties in the paper. In addition, it was revealed that in order to perform successful persuasion, one has to be a good communicator and possess specific characteristics. These characteristics include a positive attitude, clear diction, appropriate language style, the ability to control emotions and provide a guarantee or evidence of his or her argument. The awareness of critical situational and contextual factors is also critical. Honesty and responsibility were found as alternative principles of persuasion. In addition, confidentiality was described as the main ethical issue that occurs when a persuader collects necessary information.
References
Arisetiyani Y., & Yuliasry, I. (2017). Observance of Cialdini’s principles of the speech act of persuasion in 2016 US presidential debates. English Education Journal, 7(3), 237–246.
Cialdini, R. (2001). Harnessing the science of persuasion. Harvard Business Review, 72–79.
Goodman-Delahunty J., & Howes, L. (2016). Social persuasion to develop rapport in high-stakes interviews: qualitative analyses of Asian-Pacific practices. An International Journal of Research and Policy, 26(3), 270–290.
Orji, R., Mandryk, R., & Vassileva, J. (2015). Gender, age, and responsiveness to Cialdini’s persuasion strategies. In T. MacTavish, & S. Basapur (Eds.), Persuasive 2015: Persuasive Technology. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 9072, 147–159.
Romenti, S., Murtarelli, G., Miglietta, A., & Gregory, A. (2019). Investigating the role of contextual factors in effectively executing communication evaluation and measurement. Journal of Communication Management, 23(3), 228–245.