Authors Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin, and Robert Cialdini provide what they promise: 50 case studies where science determined the difference between “yes” and “no” responses.
The book is a quick read and the 50 chapters are short and the writing style familiar. But Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive stands out for two reasons: everything is backed up by hard data and there is a prominent focus on the ethical use of the techniques.
Yes! does not get bogged down with numbers, but the authors are very clear about the research and testing that goes into their conclusions. For example, let’s imagine that your business relies on your employees making deals. In one of the Yes! experiments, when one group of test subjects was asked to mimic a negotiator’s physical behavior, they reached a deal 67% of the time. Think about your imaginary business for a second. How much would a 10% decrease in deal-making hurt you? What about 20%? Non-mimicking pairs of negotiators reached a deal only 12.5% of the time – a difference of more than 54%. Perhaps that’s enough for you to start considering the authors persuasive techniques.
We also like this book is because the ethical ramifications of the work are never hidden away. The authors advocate that not only is unethical persuasion distasteful, but that it’s less profitable too. The authors contend,
“Often the first influence strategy that comes to mind will not be the most ethical – or the wisest, as was demonstrated…as ethical persuaders, we can take comfort in knowing that those who do choose to wield social influence as a destructive weapon, rather than a constructive tool, will inevitably end up pointing that weapon at themselves and shooting themselves in the foot”
This isn’t a perfect book . A few of the stories are boring and some of the humor falls flat. Nonetheless, we recommend it. It’s perfect for a business trip and quick enough to be read in a weekend.
