Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.

You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.

Using a wide range of examples, from salesmen to prison interrogators to data gathered in sociology experiments, Cialdini shows various methods used to influence people.He classifies the "influences" into major categories, and provides suggestions about how to deal with them.

Unlike some other authors, Cialdini does not take a cynical attitude and conclude that we're all irrational, because we can be influenced. His is a positive and scientific approach. He explains why we might make certain errors and be influenced in certain ways, and shows that there ways to correct our mistakes.

Not an earth-shattering book if one has read similar ones (say, about sales-techniques). If one has not, then this is a good place to start. ( )

I included this book in my book: The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. www.100bestbiz.com. ( )

Based on the references to this that I've seen in other books and elsewhere, this book is now a classic. Cialdini describes 6 weapons of influence: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. His approach uses a perfect balance of academic research, real situations, and pragmatic advice. ( )

This book was recommended to my by a collegue & friend. We are working in the field of online community management.

Mr Cialdini shares a lot of stories and thoughts on the subject at hand. Each "technique" is backed by examples and narrated studies (complete with references). In contrast to other books on this subject is seems very well recherched and is, despite the topic, fun to read. ( )