UNRECOGNIZED PERSUASION TECHNIQUES

If there is a constant in the field of persuasion, it is searching for the latest persuasion technique. Having read dozens and dozens of books on persuasion in research and preparation for the book I wrote, Inside-Out Persuasion, I came upon that drive again and again. And when I have talked about persuasion in some Introductions and with people individually, persuasion techniques seemed to always come up.

“What can I do to be even more persuasive? What technique can I use?” “What the one technique that will guarantee winning someone to my point of view?”

Now without doubt, there are many. There are books that focus exclusively on techniques. These are the how to books that skip the whole question of ethics and goes right to how to persuade someone to buy your product or agree with your conclusions. Why do they skip ethics? Simple. It’s too difficult. It sounds too moralistic. There’s no immediate payoff for it, in fact, it may cost you sales.