The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say Yes in 8 minutes or Less

Author of The Science of Influence; Kevin Hogan, who is an expert in influencing people, has done a lot of research and come up with some new ideas about how to persuade and convince others. He wants to show us how we can use these ideas to get better at convincing people and getting their support.

By Kevin Hogan, 2009, 179 pages.

Chronicle and summary of “The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say Yes in 8 minutes or Less”

Chapter 1: How to get others to change

Kevin Hogan‘s book, “The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say Yes in 8 minutes or Less,” delves into the art and science of persuasion. He explains how to turn a “no” into a “yes” in various aspects of life, be it at work or in personal relationships.

Hogan explores the techniques and processes that lead to long-lasting changes in people’s behaviors, attitudes, and motivations. Regardless of our role—whether we’re parents, teachers, marketers, coaches, or salespeople—we can develop the skill of convincing and motivating others.

How to influence others to change permanently?

In “The Science of Influence,” Kevin Hogan emphasizes the importance of considering the term “permanently.” Why? Well, achieving lasting change can be quite challenging. Think about how often someone may initially agree with you, only to later revert to their original stance, like a rubber band snapping back.

One day, they’re on board with a “yes,” and the next, they flip to a “no.” This back-and-forth behavior is like a swinging pendulum on a clock, known as the oscillation phenomenon. Mastering this phenomenon is key to understanding a groundbreaking principle in the art of turning a “no” into a “yes”—and making that change stick. We’ll delve into this concept further shortly.

Do humans follow the status quo?

How can we get better at turning a “no” into a “yes” for good? Well, it’s not a piece of cake. The challenge lies in how our brains are wired to follow routines, sticking to the paths carved by our past thought habits. This is known as the consistency principle.

Think of it like this: imagine the most motivated person on Earth deciding to overhaul their eating habits. They’re really committed this time. Things go smoothly initially, and they’re on track for the first few days. Then, suddenly, they hit a wall.

The old ingrained habits kick in, and it’s as if they’re programmed to reach for that bag of chips stashed in the cupboard without even thinking. The same goes for our preconceived ideas, our belief systems, and those rock-solid habits etched deep into our brains.

All these factors can make us say “no” to change, even when it’s change we actually want. So, according to Kevin Hogan, if you want to influence others’ behaviors, attitudes, and decisions, you must introduce those changes repeatedly. It’s almost like the more you repeat a new behavior or idea, the more you create a fresh neural pathway in the brain.

Influence both the conscious and subconscious brain

If we want to get better at persuasion, let’s take a page from the playbook of skilled negotiators. Just like a seasoned negotiator, we should aim to communicate with both the conscious and subconscious minds of others simultaneously. These two aspects work together closely, shaping a person’s personality, behavior, and thinking habits.

For instance, did you know that the conscious mind is like a super calculator? It carefully processes, filters, and compares information, deciding what makes it to the subconscious level. On the other hand, the subconscious brain is the real decision-maker behind our choices, emotional responses, and intuitions. It acts as the control center for our needs and values, ultimately having the final say in our preferences, reactions, attitudes, and everyday decisions, often without us even realizing it.

Are the conscious mind and the subconscious mind on a boat, falling overboard?

The conscious and subconscious minds work in very different ways, sometimes even contradicting each other. To become more persuasive, we need to understand this duality.

One powerful persuasion technique is to guide our conversation partner into a future where their desires and needs are fulfilled. As effective communicators, our job is to use suggestions to lead them step by step along a path toward that desired future—a path of change.

Here are the essential elements of successful persuasion, as outlined in The Science of Influence, Kevin Hogan highlights:

Everyone has both a conscious and subconscious mind, each with unique characteristics that influence their decisions.
The first impression is crucial and sets the tone for any interaction, making it important to start the persuasion process right from the beginning.
Credibility and perceived authority play vital roles in influencing others effectively.
Manipulating the perception of time, using elements of the past and future, can help shape people’s thoughts.
To be persuasive, it’s crucial to reduce resistance in others.
Understanding the oscillation phenomenon can give you the power to influence anyone, anytime.
Crafting leading questions can significantly impact someone’s thoughts, emotions, and perceptions.
People often make decisions based on presented information rather than purely rational considerations.
Persuasion is often more effective within a group due to the sense of belonging, which lowers individual critical thinking.
Changing a person’s environment can increase their suggestibility, making it easier to alter their behavior and gain their consent.

Chapter 2: It all comes down to the first four seconds

It takes only four seconds to form an opinion about someone you’ve just met. According to Kevin Hogan in The Science of Influence, we unconsciously make judgments in this brief time, categorizing people as “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.”

As humans, we naturally trust individuals with authority or alpha status. This instinctual preference for hierarchy exists in both our genetics and culture. In the animal kingdom, the alpha animal influences and shapes the pack’s life.

Now, let’s return to human beings. If you want to enhance your appeal, credibility, and persuasion skills, it’s crucial to consider how others perceive your verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as your attire. All these factors are like invisible luggage that can either attract or repel people. So, take good care of these aspects because, within those four seconds, your invisible luggage can determine whether you end up in the “yes” or “no” category in your interlocutor’s mind.

What are researchers’ conclusions on the attractiveness factor?

People who are perceived as attractive tend to have more influence than those seen as less attractive. In schools, students often consider good-looking teachers as better educators, even if it’s not necessarily the case. Also, taller men tend to earn higher wages compared to shorter men, irrespective of their job skills.

Kevin Hogan advises us to recognize the significance of attractiveness and use it to our advantage. How? By making a concerted effort to create a positive first impression. This initial impression sends a signal of positive rapport to our conversation partner, which can be highly influential.

Chapter 3: My delta model of influence

Creating a positive first impression is important, much like how a delicious starter can make us look forward to the main course. When discussing the art of influence, it’s essential to delve into the Delta model of influence, a foundational concept in persuasion and developed by Kevin Hogan.

Note that Hogan primarily discusses this model in sales, but it has broader applications in various fields like relationships, management, coaching, and more.

The Delta model of influence in 13 key points

Building and nurturing a trust-based emotional connection is crucial in the art of influence. Kevin Hogan’s Delta model of influence provides valuable insights for achieving this. Here’s a simplified breakdown of this model:

Synchronize: Understand the other person’s mindset, desires, fears, values, frustrations, and interests. Mirror their world to establish rapport.
Show Genuine Interest: Demonstrate sincere interest in the person to create an emotional bond and trigger reciprocity.
Observe Cues: Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues to gauge the strength of your connection. Look for open or closed body language.
Discover Needs: Use questioning techniques to uncover the individual’s needs, core values, beliefs, and motivations.
Explore Rules: Understand how their needs and values manifest in various aspects of their life by asking questions.
Pace Breathing: Subtly match the other person’s breathing pattern to create comfort and familiarity.
Adapt Non-Verbal Cues: Adjust your posture, body language, and tone of voice to align with the person.
Guide with Voice: Skillfully use your tone and voice to influence behavioral and emotional responses.
Physiological Pacing: Lead the person through your physiology and posture, leveraging the established connection.
Reciprocity: Utilize the principle of reciprocity by offering assistance to satisfy their needs, encouraging them to reciprocate.
Storytelling: Share stories featuring characters with similar situations to captivate their attention and stimulate imagination.
Create Value: Go above and beyond, exceed expectations, and provide added value to others to leverage reciprocity.
Spark Interest: Intrigue and surprise the other person with unexpected elements to pique their curiosity.

By applying these principles, you can enhance your ability to influence others effectively.

Chapter 4: Pivotal point of persuasion: credibility

In The Science of Influence, Kevin Hogan emphasizes that credibility plays a vital role in the art of influence, regardless of the context, be it marketing, sales, personal relationships, or other areas of life. This perception of credibility is based on five fundamental elements:

Perceived Competence: It’s not just about being competent; it’s how others perceive your competence.
Trust: Building trust is crucial for establishing credibility.
Expertise: Demonstrating expertise in your field contributes to your credibility.
Relevance: Being relevant and addressing the needs of others enhances your credibility.
Sociability: Your ability to connect with and relate to others also shapes how credible you appear.

In addition to honing your actual skills in your chosen domain, it’s essential to work on how others perceive your competence. Factors such as social proof, credentials, and your confidence in both your verbal and non-verbal communication all influence how others perceive your competence. This is especially significant in fields like sales and marketing.

The Science of Influence: Chapter 5: The new revolutionary principles of influence

Kevin Hogan discusses the findings of recent research in social psychology, which has uncovered crucial principles of influence. These studies have revealed several key elements that significantly impact our ability to influence the thoughts, emotions, and actions of others:

Loss Aversion: People are more motivated to avoid losing something they already have than to gain something new.
Social Proof: Individuals are inclined to desire what others in their social or cultural group already possess.
Endowment Effect: People tend to overvalue things they already own.
Higher Values: Humans are often driven by higher values, such as family, community, or social groups, which can be leveraged in the art of influence.
Competition: The need for competition serves as a powerful motivator and influencer. For instance, in sales, emphasizing that a product or service provides a competitive advantage can be highly persuasive.

These principles of influence extend beyond sales and can be applied in various contexts to effectively motivate and sway others.

Chapter 6: The power of omega strategies

In this chapter of The Science of Influence, Kevin Hogan introduces the concept of Omega influence in this chapter, focusing on a crucial principle: minimizing resistance in communication. Resistance, whether it’s objections, refusals, or reactance, is a common obstacle in any form of communication.

There are two primary types of resistance:

Reactance: This is an immediate opposition to any message or idea that threatens one’s sense of freedom to choose.
Anticipated Regret: People may resist a request or suggestion if they anticipate regretting their compliance because it conflicts with their values.

As a communicator, it’s essential to avoid triggering reactance or resistance in others, as it can lead to a permanent “no.” Changing someone’s opinion, especially if they’ve publicly expressed it, can be extremely challenging because people tend to act consistently with their past behavior and statements.

The Science of Influence; Chapter 7: Formulation principles, persuasion techniques and influential strategies

The perception framing principle, often used in NLP and hypnosis, is a powerful tool in influencing strategies. Simply put, it states that the way we phrase an idea depends on how our minds perceive it. Let me illustrate with an example:

Imagine I tell you:

“If you implement the following, you’ll increase your influence by 50%, without even knowing it.”
“If you implement the following, you could reduce your difficulty in persuading others by 50%, without even knowing it.”

Which statement do you find more convincing? If you picked the second one, you’re correct. Why? Research in social psychology tells us that the fear of losing something we already have is a stronger motivator than the promise of gaining something new.

The paradox here is that it’s the same idea presented differently. This demonstrates that people don’t always make decisions based on what’s objectively best for them; instead, they make choices influenced by how information is presented to them.

Chapter 8: Applying the laws of influence

Kevin Hogan – in this chapter of The Science of Influence – dives into the fascinating world of how our brain and social influence play a significant role in our decision-making process, often more than we realize.

Here’s the breakdown:

Rationalization: Our decision-making starts with the subconscious reptilian part of our brain. It makes choices without us even consciously realizing it. Then, our thinking brain steps in to explain and justify these subconscious decisions.
Ego’s Impact: Our ego can cloud our judgment. Many of us prefer making our own decisions, sometimes even ignoring others’ advice. However, if an authoritative figure suggests something, we’re more likely to be influenced. That’s why developing authority is crucial, as mentioned earlier in this review.

Here’s why you should apply these essential principles of social psychology in your interactions if you want to effectively convince others:

Reciprocity: Start your interactions by offering value to others. When you do something for them, they’re more likely to return the favor.
Kindness: People tend to say “yes” to those they perceive as kind and friendly.
Commitment and Consistency: Get others to take a written position, and they’re more likely to stick to it, even when faced with contrary evidence. This principle is evident in politics.
Law of Association: People tend to like ideas, products, or services associated with individuals they find friendly and respectful. Celebrities are often used in advertising for this reason.
Law of Scarcity: We desire things that are limited (in quantity or time) more. Marketers use this by creating a sense of scarcity, increasing a product’s perceived value.
Law of Conformity: Humans have a herd instinct and tend to conform to the ideas and products deemed socially acceptable by their cultural or social group.
Law of Authority: People are more likely to listen to and trust individuals they perceive as authoritative and knowledgeable. Becoming an authority figure can work to your advantage.

These principles align with concepts from Robert Cialdini’s book “Influence”.

Chapter 9: Using the secret power of oscillation

Have you ever made a decision, only to regret it later and change your mind? Most likely, because as humans, we often struggle to stick to our decisions. This relates to a psychological law known as oscillation, where our decision-making swings back and forth.

Think about how someone might say “yes” to something and then later do the opposite. This is a common experience. Oscillation is when our decisions waver and we backtrack.

In sales, for example, a client might sign up for a service but then later change their mind and cancel it. What causes this change? Oscillation. After signing up, they start to doubt their decision, weighing the benefits and costs in their mind.

It’s like a pendulum swinging between gains and losses. Then comes the regret, and they wish they hadn’t made that choice. So, how can you use this oscillation to your advantage in influencing others?

The author suggests making the person you want to convince imagine the regret they might feel if they make a decision that goes against their interests and values in the long run. Then, show them that by following your advice, they’ll be happy with the right decision.

What’s the deal with the oscillation phenomenon?

Let’s use an example to illustrate the power of this technique. Imagine a seasoned salesman selling life insurance, aiming to build trust with the client:

“Sir, I understand your concerns about the price of this life insurance. In fact, I would feel the same way. Now, picture this scenario: What if you decide not to get this life insurance? Can you imagine the regret you might feel one day if something were to happen to you?

Think about the pain your loved ones would go through, and on top of that, they might face financial difficulties because you didn’t make the decision to sign up for this insurance. But today, you have the chance to prevent those regrets by placing your trust in me. Most importantly, you’ll have peace of mind, knowing that you’ve made the right choice—a choice aligned with what truly matters to you.”

This approach leverages the oscillation phenomenon to influence the client’s decision positively. It encourages them to consider the potential future regret they might experience and emphasizes the peace of mind that comes with making the right choice.

Chapter 10: Being well informed about one’s interlocutor to find out what they’re thinking

Good communicators understand the importance of knowing a person’s desires, needs, and values to gain their agreement. However, people often hesitate to express these openly. So, how can you uncover these important insights? Kevin Hogan suggests honing your observation skills. By closely observing verbal and non-verbal cues, as well as clothing choices, you can better understand a person’s personality, preferences, needs, and concerns, as well as their beliefs and values. This skill is highly valuable for gaining others’ agreement and is utilized by professionals like hypnotherapists.

Chapter 11: Preventing or defusing “I’ll think about it”

Have you ever noticed that having too many choices can lead to indecision and delayed decision-making? Researchers in social psychology have found something interesting: as the number of choices increases, the perceived value of each choice decreases. This might sound paradoxical, but it relates to the principle of scarcity – rarer things are seen as more valuable.

In light of this, Kevin Hogan suggests that limiting the options for your audience can increase your chances of convincing them to accept your ideas or suggestions. This principle is widely used in marketing to avoid overwhelming customers with too many choices. Hogan encourages us to apply this concept in various areas of life where we seek approval from others.

It’s worth noting that this idea aligns with the techniques used by hypnotherapists, such as the double bind technique, to guide individuals toward positive change by offering an illusion of choice within a binary decision-making framework.

Planting a seed in the mind of the other person… without hurting them.

Imagine planting a seed in someone’s mind, not to harm them, but to guide their thoughts and feelings strategically, ultimately increasing the chances of them saying “yes” to your requests. Let’s explore this intriguing technique with an example.

As you read this, you might start reminiscing about a particular moment in your life, that time between then and now when you made a decision that positively altered your life’s course. Perhaps it was a decision driven by emotions, family, or romance. The more you think about it, the clearer the memories of that decision become. You realize that your current life is a result of that enlightened choice you made in the past, right?

Now, consider this: after you purchase “The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say Yes in 8 minutes or Less,” you might experience a similar feeling. Knowing how to convince and motivate others more effectively will be because, one day, you decided to acquire this book and absorb its principles one by one.

So, will you choose to buy “The Science of Influence” now, or perhaps you’ll read reviews from other users before deciding? Regardless of your choice, you’ll likely notice a significant boost in your persuasive abilities after owning this book, all while relishing the satisfaction of making the right decision to have it in your possession.

This method subtly engages your memory and associates it with the desired behavior of purchasing the book, using various psychological tactics mentioned earlier in this review, such as oscillation, future-oriented language, and the double bind technique.

The Science of Influence: Chapter 12: How the client’s brain buys you!

In the final chapter, the author reveals influential techniques applied to the sales process. Success in sales relies on a sequence of time-related factors:

Start by asking questions to identify the prospect’s frustrations and unmet needs. This builds trust and establishes an emotional connection.
Transition their attention into sustained interest by making a bold promise. Appeal to both their logical and emotional sides. Show them evidence of how your product can meet their needs, and help them imagine a future where those needs are fulfilled.
Convert that interest into desire by demonstrating how your product surpasses the promises of competing products in satisfying their unmet needs.
Encourage immediate action by connecting their desire with the act of buying. Create a sense of urgency by highlighting potential future regrets if they don’t make the purchase today.

The Science of Influence: Conclusion

“The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say Yes in 8 minutes or Less” by Kevin Hogan is a recommended addition to one’s library, offering a unique perspective on the art of persuasion. While it shares some foundational principles with Robert Cialdini’s “Influence,” Hogan’s approach sets it apart from other books in the field.

Hogan’s writing style is notably clear and reader-friendly, making complex principles of influence easily digestible. This accessibility makes the book valuable not only for marketing professionals but also for the average reader seeking to enhance their persuasive skills in everyday life.

One of the book’s strengths lies in its originality. Hogan introduces his own models of influence, such as the Delta and Omega models, and seamlessly integrates comprehensive psychological principles drawn from conversational hypnosis. These concepts include the stimulation of needs, the establishment of emotional connections, consideration of timing, and the use of double constraints.

Additionally, Hogan offers readers the opportunity to assess their influence and persuasion skills through an Influence and Persuasion Quotient (IPQ) test. This tool proves particularly beneficial for marketing and sales professionals, aiding in the identification of areas for improvement.

A minor drawback is the book’s focus on sales, which limits the availability of concrete examples applicable to other domains like relationships, teaching, and motivation. Expanding the scope to include diverse examples in these areas could enhance the book’s utility.

Despite this limitation, “The Science of Influence” remains a worthwhile investment for those interested in mastering the art of persuasion.

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