Post by: King Siu, Communications Coordinator, PMAC

Delegates were fortunate to hear a keynote address on the morning of our final day by Heath Slawner, one of Canada’s leading expert’s on the the science of influence and persuasion.

Heath’s address was sponsored by American Express and contained many important insights about what motivates people to behave the way they do.  However, he did warn the audience that his insights may not be effective when dealing with family members or children.

Some of the main drivers of human behaviour, according to Heath’s presentation, that we can use to increase our persuasiveness are:

• Normative messaging – a person’s desire to feel normal and to fit in. An example he cited here was how a utility company in the U.S. was able to reduce a household’s electricity use by revealing how they compared with the neighbourhood consumption.
• Sticky commitment – when gaining a commitment from someone, be sure to integrate these aspects into the agreement: the action taken by the other party must be voluntary, the other party must take an active role in fulfilling the agreement and there needs to be some public declaration of this commitment. The example he used here was how a restaurant was able to reduce their no-show rate for reservations by simply inserting the two words “Will you” before the phrase, “let us know if you need to change or cancel this reservation.” By making the request voluntary, giving the customer an action they must fulfill and, if they answer “Yes”, a commitment that they have declared publicly, they fulfilled all the requirements of a sticky commitment.
• Scarcity – people want more of what they can have less of. Every living organism responds to scarcity and this is why strategies such as limited time offers are effective.

Summary of Heath’s Principles of Ethical Influence :

• Reciprocation – Be the first to give: service, information, concessions
• Consensus – Unleash people power by showing: responses of many others, others’ past successes, testimonials of similar others
• Authority – Establish position through: professionalism, industry knowledge, your credentials, admitting weaknesses first
• Consistency – Start: small and build, with active commitments, and public positions, toward voluntary choices
• Scarcity – Emphasize: genuine scarcity, unique features, exclusive information
• Liking – Uncover: similarities, areas for genuine compliments, opportunities for cooperation

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