Yes!

50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

By: Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Cialdini

Narrated by: Blair Hardman

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Small changes can make a big difference in your powers of persuasion.

Every day we face the challenge of persuading others to do what we want. But what makes people say yes to our requests? Persuasion is not only an art, it is also a science, and researchers who study it have uncovered a series of hidden rules for moving people in your direction.

Based on more than 60 years of research into the psychology of persuasion, Yes! reveals 50 simple but remarkably effective strategies that will make you much more persuasive at work and in your personal life, too.

Cowritten by the world's most quoted expert on influence, Professor Robert Cialdini, Yes! presents dozens of surprising discoveries from the science of persuasion in short, enjoyable, and insightful chapters that you can apply immediately to become a more effective persuader.

Why did a sign pointing out the problem of vandalism in the Petrified Forest National Park actually increase the theft of pieces of petrified wood? Why did sales of jam multiply tenfold when consumers were offered many fewer flavors? Why did people prefer a Mercedes immediately after giving reasons why they prefer a BMW? What simple message on cards left in hotel rooms greatly increased the number of people who behaved in environmentally friendly ways?

Often counterintuitive, the findings presented in Yes! will steer you away from common pitfalls while empowering you with little known but proven wisdom.

Whether you are in advertising, marketing, management, on sales, or just curious about how to be more influential in everyday life, Yes! shows how making small, scientifically proven changes to your approach can have a dramatic effect on your persuasive powers.

©2008 Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

" Yes! is the Freakonomics of social psychology. This book changed my way of looking at the world. This thinking is the real deal. Don't miss out!" (Daniel Finkelstein, Comment Editor, The Times, London)

Fantastic

I liked it so much I went and bought the book. Just get it.

A capturing read

A capturing read that focuses on facts and the outcomes of scientific studies in regards to how people subcutaneously react to words, images, group vs. individual dynamics, etc. Differences in cultures, real world examples with other companies or governments, and small recommendations to common practices were appreciated to help exemplify the facts. Being persuasive in a leadership context, without the direct managerial role coming into play, is an important characteristic for day to day life. Recommended

I've listened to this one a dozen times

I really enjoyed Yes the first time I read it while on a long drive. The points are interesting, well backed up by studies and research.

I find myself putting this track on at night when I'm ready to drift off to sleep. It's interesting enough to listen to more than once, but unlike a novel I don't need to worry about falling asleep and missing the story line!

The tips are great, I make use of them to good effect in real life situations.

Great Information

Having read, "Influence", my expectations were high, and I was not disappointed. Tons of useful information, very well written, and a great book.

Do you need it?

Good book with good content only thing is it’s pretty much repeated content from influence the psychology of persuasion, so if you read or heard that one you really don’t need this one. Unless you like to double up of course

Many persuasive ideas

I liked the few new persuasive ideas and the many stories and examples he presented. While there were 50 persuasive ideas, many of them where supported by light scientific evidence and others even if true had little persuasive power. Overall it is worth having to skim to the chapters that interest you.

Yes! Yes!

Don't let this simple title lead you to think this book has basic information. This book has great information as well as scientific data to back up its claims. It cites easy to understand examples so you can better understand the content.

The presentation was great as well. I liked how the headings and chapters were read by another person. This made it easy to differentiate the topics.

Really interesting

This is a really interesting book no matter what your profession that looks at what elicits the desired response from people. It was very well presented, even as the authors were slicing and dicing percentage responses.

Great book

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was relevant and full of information that I think will help me in my business. What I didn't expect was that my 14 year old son and 12 year old daughter would also enjoy listening to this book. But then there is a lot of practical information in this book that can be applied to many situations.

Useful and practical!

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Yes!?

In business meetings both formal and informal, I retold many of the stories from the book, and started applying many of the tips right away! I was entertaining most of all, but very practical and fun to listen to.