Persuasion: Reciprocity, Consensus, And Liking

The power of persuasion can be exponential. Think of the persuasiveness of candidates for public office, world leaders, ceo’s, managers, teachers, parents, and children. All of us use persuasion to negotiate our wants and needs on a daily basis. Often times we use principles of persuasion without even knowingly doing so. The six principles of persuasion are Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Commitment, Consistency/ Consensus, and Liking.
Reciprocity is the understanding of give and take for either side of an exchange. This exchange can be for services, knowledge, or anything that can be deemed valuable. The person on the receiving end is expected to return the gesture when receiving the item of value. For example, when I ask a colleague for their input on a project that will be used in presentation a good way to reciprocate …show more content…
The response is usually “I did it mom/dad because all my friends were doing it.” This natural desire to be part of a group is the foundation of Consensus. People naturally tend to follow the advice or opinions of a community. An example of how this is important in business is when consumers comb through reviews of a product or service prior to purchasing. They want to make an informed purchasing decision on an item they don’t feel they have enough knowledge about. Reviewing the consensus of others who have purchased the item, gives them what they need to decide to act or not.
People like people that are like themselves or like the person they aspire to be. As individuals we gravitate and make decisions partly on if a person is likeable. Liking is a principle of persuasion that is powerful, because it creates a sense of camaraderie, ease, and overall positive feel. A salesperson may be chosen because of their attractiveness and charm to interact face to face with clients because clients gravitate to them and want to work with