Chapter 6
Basic principles
“Persuasive communication is ‘any message that is intended to shape, reinforce or change the responses of another’.
GERARD MILLER, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGIST1
As a process, persuasion allows us to influence and be influenced by human attitudes, beliefs, motivations, intentions and behaviours.2 From asking for that pay rise and negotiating with our kids to eat their broccoli, to brokering peace deals among warring nations, at its best persuasion is the delicate dance that enables us to shorten the distance between differing points of view, helping us to work towards a mutually beneficial outcome.
Persuasion: systematic v. heuristic
Broadly speaking, there are two main persuasion processes you can use: systematic persuasion ...
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