Pre Suasion

Robert B. Cialdini, 2016

Learn why the moment before a request decides the answer: how attention is channelled, which cues seize it, and how a passing shift becomes lasting commitment.

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11 parts, about 31 minutes to read.

Why read it

Argues that what you put in front of a request shapes how it is received, often more than the request itself
Shows how questions, single words and shared identity steer attention, and how to spot that happening to you
Rests on field and lab experiments, and confronts the ethics and hidden costs of using these methods dishonestly

Who it is for

Salespeople, fundraisers and marketers who ask for yes
Managers who must win support before they propose
Consumers who want to notice when they are being steered

What the summary covers

The Moment Before the Message3 min
Questions That Channel2 min
What's Salient Is Important2 min
What's Focal Is Causal1 min
Commanders of Attention3 min
Thinking Is Linking2 min
Fire When Readied3 min
Six Roads to Yes4 min
Not Like Us, but Of Us4 min
Whether to Use Any of It3 min
Making It Last4 min

Recommended by

Richard H. ThalerCoauthor of Nudge and author of Misbehaving
No social psychologist's research has been used more often or successfully than that of Robert Cialdini, who literally "wrote the book" on influence. Now, he's done it again, showing us the power of the moment before an attempt to persuade.
Adam GrantAuthor of Originals and Give and Take
An utterly fascinating read on how the most important drivers of persuasion aren't the words we choose in the moment, but how we set the stage beforehand. Robert Cialdini is the world's foremost expert on influence, and you will never look at it the same way again.
Chip HeathCoauthor of Switch and Made to Stick
Robert Cialdini's Influence is, by a wide margin, the book that I recommend most often. Pre-Suasion may be even more shockingly insightful.
Amy CuddyAuthor of Presence
The great social psychologist Robert Cialdini has written another timeless and indispensable book about the psychology of influence. I'll be recommending it for years and years.
Tim HarfordAuthor of The Undercover Economist Strikes Back
A fascinating, fluent and original book from one of the giants of behavioural science.
David HalpernCEO of the Behavioural Insights Team, author of Inside the Nudge Unit
It's a book that is guaranteed to be a bestseller among marketeers, but it should also be a must-read for any professional or consumer – in other words, all of us.

About the author

Robert B. CialdiniRegents' Professor Emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University
- PhD from the University of North Carolina and postdoctoral training at Columbia University
- Regents' Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University
- Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2018 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2019
- Honorary doctorates from Georgetown University, Wroclaw and Basel
- Author's own account: his books, including Influence, have sold more than 7 million copies in 44 languages