How to convince people to say 'Yes' to you - An art of Persuasion & Influence
Have you ever found yourselves in possession of unwanted magazine subscriptions or paying for a paid feature which you realise later that you really don't need? Well, most of us do! So, the question is what makes us say 'Yes' at the 1st place? How do we get influenced & persuaded so easily to comply with a request. For most parts, it really depends on the way a request is being made and I have always wondered why it is that a request stated in a certain way is rejected , while a request that asks for the same favour in a different fashion will be successful. Check the below two example to figure this out:
A letter from a college kid to his parents informing about bad exam results
1st approach
Dear Mother and Dad:
I am getting a 'D' in History and an 'F' in Chemistry. Please don't scold me.
Result: Well, we all know because most of us have been there on both the sides of the table
2nd approach
Dear Mother and Dad:
Since I left for my college I have been remiss in writing and I am sorry for my thoughtlessness in not having written before. I will bring you upto date now, but before you read on, please sit down. You are not to read any further unless you are sitting down, okay?
Well, then I am getting along pretty well now. The skull fracture and the concussion I got when I jumped out the window of my dormitory when it caught on fire shortly after my arrival here is pretty much healed now. I only spent two weeks in hospital and now I can almost see normally. Fortunately, the fire in the dormitory and my jump was witnessed by an attendant at the gas station near the dorm and he was the one who called ambulance and fire department. He also visited me in the hospital since I had no where to live, he was kind enough to share his apartment with me. He is really a fine guy and we have fallen deeply in love and are planning to get married. We haven't got the exact date yet, but it will be before my pregnancy begins to show.
Yes, mom and dad, I am pregnant. Now that I have brought you upto date, I want to tell you that there was no dormitory fire, I did not have a skull fracture or a concussion, I was not in hospital, I am not pregnant, I am not engaged and there is no boyfriend. However, I am getting a 'D' in History and an 'F' in Chemistry and I want you to see those marks in their proper perspective.