The book of the month is…
Pre-suasion, written by Robert Cialdini, explains how it’s not necessarily the message itself that changes minds, but the key moment before you deliver that message.
Cialdini outlines his research into the pre-suasive impact that environmental, verbal and emotional stimulus can have on people’s decision making and does so in a way intended to be heuristically instructive to the reader, stead of merely stating the evidence of studies.
The secret doesn’t lie in the message itself, but in the key moment before that message is delivered.
The key moment is an essential window of time that prepares people to be receptive to a message before they experience it. Optimal persuasion is achieved only through optimal “pre”-suasion. In other words, to change minds a pre-suader must also change states of mind.
From studies on advertising imagery to treating opiate addiction, from the annual letters of Berkshire Hathaway to the annals of history, the writer draws on an array of studies and narratives to outline the specific techniques you can use on online marketing campaigns and even effective wartime propaganda. He illustrates how the artful diversion of attention leads to successful pre-suasion and gets your targeted audience primed and ready to say, “Yes”.