Page 123 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

112 TODAY’S BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

farther than your local jewelry store to see this principle in practice. Those
diamonds come with a high price tag and may not be as rare as you think.
In our communications, we can enhance scarcity by reminding people of
what they stand to lose if they do not take our recommendations.

Social Proof

The social proof principle suggests that when people are in unfamiliar
situations, or don’t know what to do, they will look to what others are
doing. No doubt you’ve heard the expression when in Rome� If you want
people to behave in certain ways, then you should demonstrate how oth-
ers are doing so. To enhance the influence of social proof, you need to
demonstrate how those “others” are similar to the target of your persua-
sive appeal. We published a study recently that demonstrated how social
proof could be used to reduce student absenteeism in college classrooms.
In the study, we presented students with a course absenteeism policy that
provided actual absenteeism data from students “just like you.” Students
were not rewarded or punished for attendance or absenteeism; they were
simply told how many classes the typical A, B, C, D, and F students had
missed in the past. Students who were given social proof, missed fewer
classes than those students who did not receive social proof.
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Conclusion

This chapter provided you with the nuts and bolts of persuasion and
influence. The lessons of this chapter are clear. To be highly influential,
you should

• put your audience first;
• craft messages that are learnable;
• pay attention to your personal credibility;
• use the appropriate tactics for every situation.

Why must you know how to influence and persuade others? Because
that is the route to success in the world of business, and communica-
tion is the tool we use to leverage our influence.