Dr. Robert Cialdini shared his three key principles of influence during today's opening general session. Cialidini delivered his address to a packed room and keep the crowd entertained to the end. He noted that it's not enough to simply give people assignments, you have to get people to actively, publicly and voluntarilty commit. "And once you get that commitment, get them to write it down," he said. "People live up to what they write down." It's also important to acknowledge people and credit them for good ideas.
Using examples from advertising, corporate spokespeople and others, Cialdini explained how sometimes only a few words, placed differently, can make a huge difference. For example, according to the principle of scarcity, telling people what they will lose, rather than what they will gain, is more likely to motivate them to action. "What people will lose is more memorable and more galvanizing," he said. Its essentially taking advantage of the human tendency to be loss averse.
To be viewed as an authority, you must be viewed as credible and trustworthy. Cialdini guided attendees that a third-party is the best way to establish credibility--and if that's not possible, to share their credentials before the first meeting, not to open the first meeting. To establish yourself as trustworthy, you need to rethink how you normally present your arguments. Instead of presenting a strength before a weakness, pivot that around and present the weakness first.
Here, his examples of Avis and L'Oreal were perfect. Avis's slogan was "We're No. 2, but we try harder," while L'Oreal's slogan was "We're expensive, but you're worth it." As Cialdini explained it, the people need to recognize that the word but says "take the info just given and put it away; focus on the next thing."
Cialdini was warmly greeted by many attendees as he signed copies of his best-selling book, Influence. Many attendees also snapped up a tip card summarizing some of the key principles of influence.
All-in-all a popular session very well received by Safety 2012 attendees.
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers
