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Book Review - Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini
#1

Book Review - Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

Mods - not sure if this is the right forum - kindly move if i got this wrong.

Pre-Suasion by Rovert Cialdini Book Review

Cialdini (pronounced chill-dini) wrote the landmark Influence 30 years ago. He also co-wrote Yes! which is essentially 50 bite-size chapters applying Influence. These are books about psychological principles of influence, not books about game per se, but with a little creativity can have significant application to Game.

Bottom line is this book is a must-read for advanced gamers as it covers some new research. But read Influence and Yes! first. The book is a survey of new or under-discussed research with a focus on influence in advertising, marketing, and communications generally, and is not a game manual. However, there are some interesting items in the book that are under-appreciated by most gamers.

“Pre-suasion” is the concept that by preparing an audience or mark, you can heighten the effects of influence. For example, if you are watching a violent or suspenseful TV show, then appeals to “don’t be left out (of the group)” are more effective, while if you are watching a romantic TV show, then appeals to “be one of the few” are more effective.

While the book covers the effect of these pre-suasion situations, the title of the book is really a misnomer and it covers a variety of situations. It really ought to be titled Influence Part II, although that would not have been as interesting a title. Interestingly, Cialdini intended his first book Influence to initially be titled Weapons of Social Seductions.

Here are some notes of particular discussions of relevance to game - you really have to read the book to develop and understand these ideas:

Labeling/consistency – “I can tell you are stubborn/flexible”; mark acts consistent with this label. Game application – “There are a lot of pretty girls in this city, but I sense there is something different about you. You’re an adventurous person, aren’t you?” Once someone states that they are adventurous, they are more willing to act consistent with this statement and disregard risks. For example, give out a phone number.

Target chuting – p. 23 similar to labeling. What positive qualities does this product have? The mind searches for instances of consistent with your label (positive qualities about the product), rather than weighing both instances of consistency and inconsistency. “I can sense that while you get plenty of dates, you haven’t really found what you are looking for yet. [make a statement that is likely to be partially true – mark will scour brain for confirming evidence which in their mind makes the statement almost 100% true. You could use this to emphasize dissatisfaction with her current options and emphasize your positive attributes that are superior to her current options.]

Attention – if you get someone to focus their attention on something, their mind gives it greater importance. P. 30 example, lowering your voice volume, changing to a deeper tone. This is what main stream media does by selecting or ignoring "news"; if they cover it, then its important.

Agenda setting – nothing is as important as the thing you are currently thinking about. Example, main stream media sets the agenda, and what they cover becomes what is important. Game application – ask mark to visually picture something which coincidentally is a favorable quality of yours. “Imagine you and are on an overseas vacation – where are we?”

Managing the background – mattress company with clouds on the background of its webpage sold more mattresses that emphasized comfort. When they changed to a picture of a penny, they sold more mattresses based on cost savings. Game application – ask for a phone number in front of a flower store lingerie store, or at a wedding. Romantic environments enhance compliance. Day gamers asking for numbers were twice as successful when (unrelated) someone 5 min earlier asks mark directions to “Valentine Street.”

Attention – bring selective attention to the qualities on which you are most successful.

Fear – works to influence only when paired with a solution. E.g. scary health film about hypoglycemia moved viewers to action only when the film added information about how to mitigate the risks; otherwise, people shut down. Game application – dread game? [Scarcity was discussed in Influence] Perhaps if you use dread game, don’t use it in the abstract but couple it with a discrete invitation to prevent a sour grapes shut down reaction. Compare – I have dates with 5 different women this week less effective than “lets get together on Monday because I have dates with 5 different women this week.”

Bouncing – Cialdini indirectly confirms the value of bouncing, even changing rooms, at p. 77-78. This is part of Pavlov’s original but ignored research. Things that change your attention magnify your attention. Pavlov couldn’t repeat his experiments when he took his dogs to new venues where their attention was distracted. Changing rooms re-orients you and magnifies your attention; it’s a stimulus reset. Intersetingly, the non-game application is in documentaries – when they cut to a new camera angle, your attention is magnified. This is why MTV had fast cuts – its attention grabbing, although not influential. When you have a few cuts is when you magnify influence.

Novelty – is a facet of changing attention. Example – two sofas were similar except one was softer and one was more durable. Customers preferred them roughly 50/50 when compared head to head. But when the mix was one soft, one durable, and five inferior but durable, the preference for softer spiked. Game lesson is to not emphasize your attrubtes that others have, even if you are slightly superior, but rather emphasize what you have that is relatively unique. May have profound application for 40+ gamers.

that is all i have gotten through now. as i said, the book is not really written for game, but like Influence it has game applications.

hopefully others can expand these ideas.

i highly recommend the book but recommend you read Influence and Yes! first.
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#2

Book Review - Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

You're in the right forum.

“The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents.”

Carl Jung
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#3

Book Review - Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

Thanks for this.

From your remarks about game application, it never seizes to amaze me how much the early PUA guys had just about everything covered. I havent read anything game related in a while but literally EVERYTHING i come accross can be found in those guys ideas.
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#4

Book Review - Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

Quote: (12-14-2016 04:30 PM)Beirut Wrote:  

Thanks for this.

From your remarks about game application, it never seizes to amaze me how much the early PUA guys had just about everything covered. I havent read anything game related in a while but literally EVERYTHING i come accross can be found in those guys ideas.

yes, the early PUA guys really got the science part down very well. There has been little added from a science base since them, Cialdini just adds "unity" to his list of 6 key techniques - rather its been more personal growth and political. However, where a lot of the early PUAs got it wrong was they thought seduction was a magic pill that would work on every woman the same way and all the time. they were externally focussed. A lot of game in the past 10 years is on inner game. I think a lot of players face the reality that there are limits to seduction techniques, that they don't work the same on every woman in every situation, and that improving your inner game or frame has a bigger payoff.
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