Why Influence?
Everyday
Modern
Definitions
Ethics I
Ethics II
Disciplines
Approach
Bad Info
Structure
Mindfulness
Mindlessness
6 Principles
Matrix
Cults I
Cults II
Cults III
Framing I
Framing II
Framing III
Framing IV
Framing V
Framing VI
Framing VII
Framing VIII
Bibliography
Links |
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By now, you know that social influence is the science of influence,
persuasion, and compliance.
A knowledge of it can help you when you need to move someone to adopt
a new attitude, belief, or action. It can also help you resist the influence
attempts of others. This web site is designed, in part, to help you become
a more persuasive person, but also to help you better recognize and manage
the influence attempts of others.
Here are a half-dozen examples that demonstrate social influence in
use. . .
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A physical rehabilitation group was increasingly frustrated by their
clientele's low compliance rates. For some reason, patients were not following
the exercise regimes recommended by the therapists. An influence consultant
quickly increased patient compliance by more than 30% by having therapists
make a single change . . . in office decor! |
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N.A.T.O. convoys in Somalia were frequently looted. To curb this, military
commanders broadcast authoritarian commands--to little effect. After consulting
the influence literature and revising their messages appropriately, PsyOps
discovered that the insertion of a single phrase implicating the
self-concept was able to nearly eliminate looting. |
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A state government wished to increase statewide recycling. To accomplish
this, they contracted with an influence research team to create a series
of TV advertisements that played on social norms to increase recycling
behaviors. The ads won an ITVA award, but more importantly, they significantly
increased recycling behaviors. |
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A health care organization planned to advertise nationally for the
first time, but had been disappointed with the results of past advertising
campaigns. They hired influence consultants to provide an overall strategy
and message that would be maximally effective with the target audience,
and then turned the ideas over to creative talent. Their returns on advertising
dollars spent were dramatically increased. |
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Influence consultants are increasingly sought by political campaign
managers to provide a range of services, from psychological analyses of
the electorate to the creation of speeches, advertisements, and strategies. |
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Local convenience stores had problems with teenagers "hanging out"
in their parking lots. The stores wanted teens' business, but not the fights
and drug-dealing that sometimes accompany late-night loitering. An influence
expert recommended that store owners purchase several samples of a certain
kind of music, and play that music through loudspeakers in the parking
lot. Upon hearing the music, the teenagers voluntarily left--and stayed
away from--the parking lot. The music did not affect sales to teenagers,
however, as music was not played inside the stores.
The performer? Frank Sinatra! |
The above examples demonstrate a few situations in which a knowledge
of social influence can make the difference between success and failure.
I hope the principles discussed in this website will awaken your interest
in the topic of influence and help you become successfully and ethically
persuasive. Interested in learning more about what science has to say about
solving problems like these? Then read on .
. .
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