No Battle Plan Survives Contact with the Enemy

There's a well-known military saying attributed to Helmuth von Moltke, a German Field Marshall in the 1800s: "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy." So, why bother planning for battle at all?

Consider the late Bill Walsh, the Hall of Fame head football coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He was known for scripting out the first 15 plays his offense would run to start the game. Quite often, the script was tossed aside depending on what happened during the first few downs. Why prepare a script then?

In many martial arts, practitioners go through forms or katas that simulate fight sequences against multiple opponents. It's highly unlikely that any fight ever unfolds exactly as laid out in a kata. Why practice the sequences then?

At first glance, it might seem like the best preparation is a gamble, a potential waste of time and effort. So, why go through the motions? Because there's value in planning beyond the plan. Things may not unfold as planned, but soldiers, athletes, and martial artists are more prepared for different eventualities than if they had never trained or planned.

How confident would you be in your country’s ability to defend your homeland if they didn’t train and plan? How confident would you be about victory if your favorite sports team had no game plan? How confident would a martial artist be if they never thought about and practiced defending against multiple opponents only to find themselves facing several attackers?

The same thought process applies in persuasion. Many of the concepts I teach in the two-day Principles of Persuasion Workshop? take time and preparation. Being an effective persuader isn't about being a silver-tongued devil in the moment any more than success on the battlefield is just about weapons, or being a good athlete on the football field, or kicking high in martial arts. All those things are helpful, but the best in each field succeed because they prepare and train.

Preparing for Persuasion

So, what does preparation look like in persuasion? It starts with learning the science of influence. With more than eight decades of research in this field, we can turn to studies that clearly tell us which principles of influence to use and when. This understanding will lead to more consistent success than relying on someone’s good advice, what worked for a friend, or your best hunch.

Another way preparation leads to success comes with homework: learning as much as you can about the person you’re trying to persuade. The more you know about someone before you meet with them, the easier the persuasion process will be for a couple of reasons.

You can invoke the principle of liking by connecting on what you have in common or offering up genuine compliments. Scanning Facebook, reviewing a LinkedIn profile, or a quick Google search might be all it takes to find the commonalities or things to genuinely compliment.

To effectively utilize the principle of consistency, you want to tie your request to what someone has said or done in the past, what they believe, their values, attitudes, etc., because people like to remain consistent in those areas. Again, many of these can be uncovered simply by doing a little research in advance of your meeting.

Will Your Next Attempt at Persuasion Go as Planned?

Probably not. But will you be better off having done some planning and preparation? Almost assuredly!

So, here’s my advice: next time you have something important you want someone to say "Yes" to, do a little homework beforehand and then allow yourself to see the situation unfold in your mind’s eye in different ways. These seemingly small things could have a big impact on the outcome.

Imagine the advantage you'll have if you understand not just what to do in the moment but also how to prepare effectively. This is the essence of pre-suasion, a concept emphasized by Dr. Robert Cialdini. Pre-suasion is about setting the stage, creating a mindset in your audience that makes them more receptive to your message even before you deliver it.

Remember, even though no plan survives contact with the enemy, the process of planning and preparation itself creates a readiness and resilience that can make all the difference in achieving your goals. So, embrace the art and science of preparation in your persuasive efforts and watch as your effectiveness soars.

Edited with ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE ?and a faculty member at the?Cialdini Institute . An author, TEDx presenter, international speaker, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book,?Influence PEOPLE , was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority.?Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents ?was an Amazon new release bestseller. His latest book,?The Influencer , is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence in everyday situations.

Brian’s?LinkedIn courses ?on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by over 700,000 people around the world and his?TEDx Talk ?on pre-suasion has more than a million views!