Book SummaryPre-Suasion, by Robert Cialdini

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Pre-Suasion

Experts in the art of persuasion, whether orators, salespeople, or politicians, often focus on fine-tuning their arguments. But, according to psychologist Robert Cialdini, this approach fails to consider another key component of persuasion—what happens before we begin conveying our argument. In his 2016 book, Pre-Suasion, Cialdini argues that to make our audience receptive to our message, we must optimize the moments before persuasion.

As the author of the bestseller Influence (2006), Cialdini is one of the foremost authorities on the psychological secrets underlying successful persuasion. He’s currently the Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, and he formerly worked as a behavioral scientist for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign. In Pre-Suasion, Cialdini builds upon Influence’s foundational principles by explaining how we can effectively steer our audience’s attention before we even begin our argument.

In this guide, we’ll begin by discussing Cialdini’s insight that people are particularly susceptible to influence the moment before they make a decision. Next, we’ll examine the three instruments he introduces for influencing people in that critical...

Pre-Suasion Summary The Foundation of Pre-Suasion

Before delving into Cialdini’s specific strategies for effective pre-suasion, we’ll start by discussing the critical moment in the pre-suasive process—the moment immediately before your audience makes a decision. We’ll also outline the two primary reasons why such moments are critical to the decision-making process: First, because people intuitively believe these moments to be very important; and second, because people think the information they encounter just before making a decision is causally relevant to their decisions.

(Shortform note: Because Pre-Suasion became a bestseller and Cialdini has given many talks about it, the concept of “pre-suasion” has become increasingly mainstream. For example, new studies have tested the efficacy of pre-suasive techniques in mail marketing, finding them slightly less effective than techniques related to social exchange. Researchers have also applied the notion of pre-suasion to specific industries such as motorcycle sales.)

The Importance of the Moment Before Deciding

According to Cialdini, the key to...

Pre-Suasion Summary The Instruments of Pre-Suasion

Having established the foundation of pre-suasion—the fact that people are especially susceptible to influence the moment before they make a decision—we’ll now turn to the specific instruments of influence that make pre-suasion possible. According to Cialdini, there are three such instruments: language, images, and environments.

Instrument #1: Language

Cialdini says that precise word choice is an essential tool for successful pre-suasion, citing various studies that reveal how words can shape behavior and underlying opinions.

For example, in one experiment, researchers exposed one group of participants to sets of scrambled words that formed violent sentences when unscrambled (for example, “him shot she” became “she shot him”). Another group saw scrambled words that formed nonviolent sentences (for example, “him saw she” became “she saw him.”) Then, researchers had the subjects partake in an experiment that involved electrically shocking another subject and choosing the intensity of the shocks. Cialdini notes that the results were shocking: Those exposed to violent language beforehand chose shock levels 48% higher than those exposed to nonviolent language, suggesting...

Pre-Suasion Summary Pre-Suade by Aligning With People’s Preferences

Although we’ve discussed Cialdini’s instruments for steering people’s attention in the moment before deciding, we haven’t yet discussed how to use these instruments. In this section, we’ll consider ways you can direct your audience’s attention by aligning with their preferences—three of which (desire for consistency, deference toward authority, and desire for likability) are originally from Cialdini’s previous book, Influence, and one of which (the importance of unity) is new to Pre-Suasion.

(Shortform note: In addition to consistency, authority, and likability, Cialdini highlights three further principles in both Pre-Suasion and Influence: reciprocity, social proof, and scarcity. Reciprocity refers to the notion that we often feel obligated to repay those who have helped us. Social proof refers to the idea that we’re more likely to agree with something if it seems like everyone else agrees with it. Finally, scarcity refers to the fact that we’re...

Pre-Suasion Summary The Enduring Impact of Pre-Suasion

Cialdini acknowledges that, although the pre-suasive techniques he’s outlined might lead to short-term behavioral changes, they’re often insufficient to effect long-term change. Consequently, in this section, we’ll explain how to entrench the changes brought about through pre-suasion by eliciting concrete commitments from your audience.

The Importance of Eliciting Commitment

Cialdini explains that to generate long-term shifts in behavior, you should elicit a concrete commitment from your audience. To illustrate the impact of such commitments, Cialdini points to several studies showing that small commitments can cement behavioral changes.

For instance, in one study of medical clinics, experts sought to determine how to increase the percentage of patients who show up for scheduled follow-up appointments. They found that the most successful approach involved asking patients to write down the details of these follow-up appointments themselves, rather than having the receptionist do so. Cialdini explains that in so doing, the patients were making a small commitment that made them 18% more likely to attend their follow-up appointments.

(Shortform note: Another medical...

Shortform Exercise: Consider the Effectiveness of Cialdini’s Four Preferences

Cialdini argues that by exploiting four of our ingrained preferences (for consistency, authority, likability, and connectedness), communicators can effectively pre-suade their audience. In this exercise, consider the effectiveness of these four preferences—both as a persuader and as one being persuaded.

Which of Cialdini’s four preferences do you believe you’re most susceptible to? Why?