The Skinny On The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel, Review

The ability to persuade others to your way of thinking is a critical skill. You present your ideas to others to get their buy in. Therefore, you have to create presentations to sell these ideas. To create a persuasive presentation, you need persuasion points. The Skinny on The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel offers some excellent tips to help you to become more persuasive.

Book Grouping: The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion, How to Sweet-Talk a Shark, and Resonate

 The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion How to Sweet-Talk a Shark Influence Pre-Suasion Resonate

Five Big Ideas from The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion

1. Good persuaders understand that persuasiveness is an art…that to be effective, they must have a sense of dimension and, of nuance. If you push people too hard, they will instinctively pull back.
2. There is a fine line between persuasion and manipulation. Manipulation is focused on outcomes for the manipulator. Persuasion is focused on win/win for both parties.
3. Learn to listen and watch. People love it when they feel like they are being listened to and heard. You will also be able to pick up verbal and non-verbal cues.
4. Do not confuse the familiar with the universal. Because a way of thinking or belief may be familiar to you, it is not necessarily universal to everyone, so be mindful of that. People strive to be consistent in their behaviors.
5. People often take shortcuts when making decisions. They often make decisions in relation to something else, something familiar. People are often operate on automatic pilot.

Introduction: The Skinny On The Art of Persuasion

The Skinny on The Art of Persuasion: How to Move MindsThe Skinny on The Art of Persuasion: How to Move Minds by Jim Randel is part of the Skinny On series of books. They are designed  and written for the time-strapped professional looking for more than surface level knowledge on a particular subject. The reader can consume and digest any of these books in less than two hours.

What is The Skinny On The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel About?

I received a copy of The Skinny On The Art of Persuasion to review. Persuasion is defined as

“the act of convincing, influencing and inducing.”

Based on Jim Randel and his team’s extensive research, they conclude that the ability to persuade is an acquired skill, that means it’s teachable, but,

“good persuaders understand that persuasiveness is an art…that to be effective, they must have a sense of dimension and, of nuance. If you push people too hard, they will instinctively pull back.”

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The author points out that there is a fine line between persuasion and manipulation. He cited from Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want by Dave Lakhani,

“Manipulation is inwardly focused on the outcome for the person doing the manipulation. Persuasion is externally focused on developing a win-win outcome where everyone’s needs are met.”

 

There are 10 Rules of Persuasion

1. Connect with the person you are trying to persuade. Mirror them so they feel comfortable around you.
2. Prepare extensively before you utter a word. Think about what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. The more prepared you are, the:
   1. Better able you will be to control your listener’s thought processes
   2. More comfortable you will feel and act
   3. Better able you are to determine what you can and cannot do during the “persuasion” and you will know when to stop talking
3. Learn to listen and watch. People love it when they feel like they are being listened to and heard. You will also be able to pick up verbal and non-verbal cues
4. Create a feeling of scarcity – people want what they cannot have
5. Do not confuse the familiar with the universal. Because a way of thinking or belief may be familiar to you, it is not necessarily universal to everyone, so be mindful of that. People strive to be consistent in their behaviours
6. People do not like to feel indebted so they will find a way to reciprocate
7. People often take shortcuts when making decisions. They often make decisions in relation to something else, something familiar. People are often operate on automatic pilot
8. People follow crowds, celebrities,  and authorities
9. People often make decisions based on emotions
10. Persuasiveness is about integrity

Rule 10 is particularly important to Jim Randel. He relates an experience he had 30 years ago when he was into flipping real estate. There was a fire and he knew there were often fire sales. So he went to where the fire was. He realized that the owner had died as the EMTs were wheeling the elderly man away.

Jim rushed to city hall and learned that the dead man had a daughter living in the Midwest. Later that evening he called the daughter to get information on who would be handing the sale of the house. It was that instant that the woman discovered that her dad died in a house fire.

I winced when I read this, and I understood. I have never done anything like this. But I'm sure that I have offended others because I responded too quickly without thinking things through. I realize that we so often want to win so badly that we do not stop to consider how our actions might impact another. According to Randel,

“In my rush to succeed, I lost sight of basic human compassion and decency.”

To me this was the most important point in the book. If we think of people compassionately, we will think before we act. And we will strive for a win/win outcome and not cross the line and attempt to manipulate others.

Final Thoughts: The Skinny On The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel

I recommend The Skinny on The Art of Persuasion: How to Move Minds. Included is a list of the books mentioned in the Skinny On The Art of Persuasion.

Have you read?

Review of The Skinny On Networking: Maximizing the Power of Numbers by Jim Randel
Review of The Skinny on Willpower by Jim Randel
The Skinny on Success: A Book Review by Jim Randel
The Skinny on Time Management: A Book Review

Books Mentioned in the Skinny On The Art of Persuasion

Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game, Kevin Hogan and James Speakman

Maximum Influence: The 12 Universal Laws of Power Persuasion, Kurt W. Mortensen

Magic of Rapport Revised, Richardson and Margulis

Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want, Dave Lakhani

How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie

The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success, Brian Tracy

How to Do Tricks With Cards, Bill Turner

The Art of Cross-Examination, Francis Wellman

People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts, Robert Bolton

The Definitive Book of Body Language, Allan and Barbara Pease

Body Language, Julius Fast

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, Thaler and Sunstein

How to Master the Art of Selling, Tom Hopkins

How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, Dan Ariely

Irrational Exuberance, Robert Shiller

The Hidden Persuaders, Vance Packard

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell

The One Minute Sales Person, Spencer Johnson

True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence, Tom Morris

The Skinny On Series

The Skinny on Networking: Maximizing the Power of NumbersThe Skinny on Time Management: How to Maximize Your 24-Hour GiftThe Skinny on Willpower: How to Develop Self DisciplineThe Skinny on Direct Sales: Your first 100 daysThe Skinny on Real Estate Investing: An Introduction to the SubjectThe Skinny On Credit Cards: How to Master the Credit Card GameThe Skinny on Success: Why Not You?The Skinny on The Art of Persuasion: How to Move MindsThe Skinny on Creativity: Thinking Outside the Box

If someone clicks on a link and buy something from Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission. First Published August 2010