Persuasion is like a lubrication that keeps our lives running smooth. During lock down when we are confined with family, persuasion is frequently required more than ever.  It may be easily accomplished by the following:  reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, liking, and consensus.

1. Reciprocity: People are obliged to give back to you the form of behaviour, gift, or service that they have received first. If a friend invites you to their party, there’s an obligation for you to invite him to a future party you are hosting. If a colleague does you a favour, then you owe that colleague a favour. Inthe context of a social obligation, people are more likely to be persuaded and say yes to those that they owe. So, the key to using reciprocity for persuasion is to be the first to give.
2. Scarcity: People want more of those things that are in short supply.It’s not enough to tell people about the benefits they’ll gain if they accept your suggestion. It is also important to point out what is unique about it and what they stand to lose if they fail to consider it now as it may not be available later.
3. Authority: People follow the lead of credible, knowledgeable experts. Physiotherapists, for example, are able to persuade more of their patients to comply with recommended exercise programs if they display their medical diplomas on the walls of their consulting rooms. It is therefore,important to signal to others what makes you a credible, knowledgeable authority. You can hardly go around telling others how brilliant you are, but you can certainly arrange for someone else to introduce you as an expert.
4. Consistency: People like to be consistent with the things they have previously said or done. Consistency may therefore be used by offering small initial commitments that can be made. When attempting persuasion using consistency, offer voluntary and active commitments ideally in writing.
5. Liking: People prefer to say yes to those that they like and there are three important factors for liking. We like people who are similar to us, who pay us compliments and who cooperate with us towards mutual goals. So, to harness this liking for persuasion, look for areas of similarity that you share with others, and genuine compliments you could give before you get down to persuasion.
6. Consensus: People look to the actions and behaviours of others to determine their own especially when they are uncertain. Therefore, rather than relying on our own ability to persuade others, we can point to what many others are already doing under similar conditions.

We can use these ways for persuasion in our day to day lives judiciously. The blog is based on information from the book, ‘Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini’.