One of the great myths about modern society is that we can divide it into two non-overlapping parts---the private and the public. The private sphere is the purported locus of all affective, emotional commitments, while the public sphere is a realm of impersonal, purely instrumental, social interaction. In the private sphere, the story goes, we live, love, grieve, and sacrifice, while in the public sphere of markets and politics, we act to gather the material prerequisites to a fulfilled private life.

This myth was buoyed up in the mid-twentieth century by the vision of vast tracts of middle-class housing where neighbors were strangers ("and they were all made out of ticky-tacky and they all looked the same"), by the cult of public conformity ("the organization man"), and by such urban myths as women being raped and beaten in public while spectators did nothing.

We now know that this bizarre viewpoint is miles from the truth, and that public life is imbued with a rich nexus of emotion-laden, poignantly human, social relations. Even strangers meeting for the first time engage in characteristically human emotional interactions, and the quality of social life depends critically on the tacit culture of conformity to particular norms of social interaction among people in public capacities.

Chaldini's book is a classic contribution towards analyzing these tacit social relations among strangers. His take on the issue is that we are all vulnerable to being manipulated by our mental weaknesses, and we should learn to be on guard against this manipulation. This is a very good point, but it hides the deeper point that manipulation is just the pathological side of basically healthy approaches to interaction with others in society. Humans are intensely reciprocal, and will sacrifice to repay good with good, and bad with bad, at personal cost, even when dealing with strangers they will never see again (we call this "strong reciprocity"). We have a strong tendency to social conformity, thus respecting others by our willingness to follow their lead. We want to be liked, and we are more willing to sacrifice on behalf of people we like, even if they are strangers. These and other behaviors are what make us human. Cialdini's point is that these predisposition can be used against us, and we must be careful to protect ourselves from this.

The various elements of the psychology of persuasion are so well-known today, partly due to Cialdini's influence (the first edition was 1984), that I'm not sure I learned anything new from reading this book. But, he is a fine writer and tells a good story, making the reading worth its while.

This is an intersting fast read on an important subject. Everyone should read this book. It explains so much about how we react to things and why.

This book was a total "head trip" for me several years ago when I first read it. In "Influence", Dr. Robert Cialdini describes six "weapons of influence" that, when used, trigger automatic compliance from unsuspecting individuals. These weapons are subtle in that they're based on beneficial tendencies in human psychology that we all have and they work so well that the "victim" believes that the act of compliance was actually THEIR idea!

He spends the majority of the book explaining what these "weapons" are and sharing his (and others') theories on why they work, along with (often humorous) anecdotes that demonstrate just how effective these principles can be.

He also gives plenty of examples of how con-artists, unscrupulous salesmen, hucksters, and advertisers use these "weapons" on us every day. (Why are we more likely to buy aspirin when the guy who played Marcus Welby, MD. recommends it?).

Fortunately, Cialdini also describes the "antidote" that allows us to realize when we're being caught up in a pattern of automatic compliance, and how to say no to it.

After reading this book, you may never look at psychology, advertising or Marcus Welby, MD the same way ever again...

We are all consumers of goods and services in some way or another, and I am glad I have read this.... hopefully I should have done so much earlier, but certainly better late than never. The author discusses how the psychological mechanism works in making decisions, saying "yes" to a request, how our decisions are influenced/swayed, and how we can prevent ourselves from the situations where we likely end up making unwanted decisions and/or being exploited by ill-intended profiteers. In so doing, the six underlying principles: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, are introduced with ample examples from various intriguing researches, and how these potent influencers can be commissioned by those who want us to consciously or unconsciously comply with their requests. Used with due professional ethics, the six principles can be very effective marketing tools, but we as consumers would be certainly better equipped with understanding of the principles when dealing with someone who tries to pull a trick or two and manipulate our attitudes and behaviors.

We are all consumers of goods and services in some way or another, and I am glad I read this.... hopefully I should have done so much earlier, but certainly better late than never. The author discusses how the psychological mechanism works in making decisions, saying "yes" to a request, how our decisions are influenced/swayed, and how we can prevent ourselves from the situations where we likely end up making unwanted decisions and/or being exploited by ill-intended profiteers. In so doing, the six underlying principles: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity, are introduced with ample examples from various intriguing researches, and how these potent influencers can be commissioned by those who want us to consciously or unconsciously comply with their requests. Used with due professional ethics, the six principles can be very effective marketing tools, but we as consumers would be certainly better equipped with understanding of the principles when dealing with someone who tries to pull a trick or two.

Fantastic book. You'll come away seeing how you've been victimized by "compliance practitioners" for years, and you'll now be able to see which of the compliance techniques were used on you. But, you'll deviously also start seeing how you can use some of these techniques to get others to, well, comply. I like using the Scarcity technique myself.

Overall, this is a very fascinating book based on facts and studies and is a fun read. Not many books rate 5 stars in my book, but this one clearly hits the mark.

This was a really enjoyable book -entertaining and accessiblly written while still being informative and empirically grounded. Cialdini avoids sounding like Machiavelli or Robert Greene by writing from the perspective of someone who is the target of influence rather than someone who is doing the influencing himself. Instead of teaching you how to manipulate others, he shows how our own instincts often allow others (sales people, politicians, fund raisers, and others) to persuade us or at worst manipulate us for their own purposes, and to influence our actions even when that influence is unintentional. Reading "Influence" provides a revealing look at how our minds process information. You'll see that it's aptly titled as you identify which methods were used to sell the book to you in the first place.

Most of our actions are automatic. You can take advantage of this fact, by activating the psychological mechanism that triggers them. Use it wisely.

I was very impressed, and have recommended this book to many others to read. It makes it so easy to understand and follow. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Dr. Cialdini.

This book is simply great. It's informative and it's a pleasure to read. I don't rate 5 stars very often but this one is worth it.

If you sum up the book into one page, you will find in it useful, but basic, information about the psychology of consummer behaviour, and you will find some blank lines in it too.

When it comes to the theory of persuasion, this is not only the best, but also the most important book out there. The book itself has influenced tons of other literature.

The product was shipped quickly and brand new. Couldn't have asked for more. Great seller.

This book is an easy read. I reccomend it for people that are in sales. Very useful information if you're trying to close out that deal. Little tips and tricks in there that are also helpful if you need to get your way out of a jam.

This book is Excelently written. Im no psychology student but I had no problem following along. all the stories and examples are relivant to real life situations. you should buy this book

This book is a must read for anyone interested or involved in business or marketing. I found it easy to understand, and packed full of real life examples and experiments. This book definitely gave me a new perspective on advertising and the likes.

Anyone who has dealt with salespeople will be familiar with the techniques described in this book. Nonetheless, it can be a good refresher to read before going out to make a major purchase, such as a car. The author tells a lot of "real-life" stories that demonstrate the techniques, but they tend to be a bit long-winded and slow to get to the point. Also, just my opinion, but I suspect that some of the stories didn't really happen, as they are just too tidy and neat to be true (that doesn't mean the principles they demonstrate are false).

This book was recommended to me by a very well respected marketing professional. "If you read one book, this is the one".

All I can say is, wow. It's powerful. A must read.

Excellent book! As with any book, really try and apply the information to your every day life. Very good methods.

This book is filled with various studies in the field of social psychology. I cannot recommend this book too highly; an entertaining and informative read. If you've ever been snookered into buying a into a timeshare condo against your better judgment or the thousand other unneeded sales we've all been hit with at some time or another, then this book is for you. It gives a structure to the various cultural instincts we all have, and how they can be subverted. On a more positive note, it is also useful for understanding how to best get your own message across, whilst avoiding manipulation. For example, after reading it I now tell my children "clean your room, because...", as using "because" makes the request more effective, and oddly enough, regardless of the reason given after the word "because", it does seem to work; at least in theory, I haven't tried "because the moon is full", yet. I plan to give this book to my children when they graduate from high school, if not sooner, so they may learn from it. And for a good philosophy book I recommend Understanding: Train of Thought.

I can't add much to the fine reviews already written about this book. I will just add that I own a First Quill Edition and that it is thoroughly underlined and dog-eared. I have loaned it out many times (and lucky to get it back each time). A dangerous book in the wrong hands, but more likely to serve as a mental vaccine against con-artists for the general reader.

I'm pretty ignorant of the whole topic of persuasion. So reading this book was fascinating for me. Sure some sections seemed to go on and on and on (boring!), but other sections seemed too short (I wished they were longer). I really enjoyed reading about the studies and examples.

A mind-blowing read about how we are persuaded in our daily life. While this book is intensely fascinating, it is also quite frightening when one realizes the powerful weapons words and actions can be.

If you look at my other reviews you may notice that I give the range of ratings (1 star to 5 star) and can be stingy with superlatives. But this book deserves all the superlatives it can get. It is insightful, educational, full of interesting studies, and very fun to read. It scares me to think that "compliance professionals" can use the knowledge from this book against ordinary consumers. Everyone should read this outstanding book and then pass it on.

The book describes 6 weapons of influence that compliance professionals use. The 6 weapons are scarcity, reciprocation, social proof, authority, liking and commitment & consistency. Book is filled with studies and examples which are fun to read in and of themselves.

I enjoyed this book so much that I have been buying extra copies for friends and family. I will not relinquish my own copy. This book was recommended by Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's partner. I believe Buffett, himself has praised this book. You may end up using the knowledge in your personal life. It doesn't apply to just sales. The knowledge, for example, could help you become a better parent. Even if you do not use the knowledge, it is still a very entertaining and enjoyable book.

Just reading Influence by Robert Cialdini. Wow. What a brilliant book. There's so much here for marketers to be aware of. A lot of this is taking things we do intuitively, or that we've learned from from experience and exploring the psychology behind it. I'm of the mind that the more you know how something works, the more you'll be able to use it to your advantage.

There is a fantastic chapter on consistency that explores our natural tendency to want to stick to our guns once we've made a commitment.

"If I can get you to make a commitment (that is, to take a stand, to go on record), I will have set the stage for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment. Once a stand is taken, there is a natural tendency to behave in ways that are stubbornly consistent with the stand."

The author cites a great number of stories, anecdotes and examples to illustrate each point. It's really fun and I can see using these examples many times in presentations and in idea generation.


For instance, he sites how weight loss experts use the written commitment to help set people set and stick to their goals. Also how Amway uses the same method. Or the numerous Proctor & Gamble contests that encourage you to "tell us in x number of words why you love product y"

Can you get a commitment somehow?

It's just one of many great examples in this book. Buy it. Better yet, buy it for someone else. You'll learn why that's a good idea when you read the book!

Someone just replaced my sales six shooter with an AK-47. Wow! This is a very valuable book, not just for sales but for life. He has five main areas on what influences us. I have used them all, but now I really know how to use them: Reciprocation ( I give you a bit to get a lot) , Commitment and consistency (If I get you to state in public what you will do, you will likely do it), Social Proof (If you see others doing it you will too), Liking, (All I need is you to like me and if I provide a good deal, I make a sale), Authority (Nurses could kill you if a Dr says so!), Scarcity ( if I give and then take away an item, you want it more) . His discussions wheel from how to ensure you get help if you are having a heart attack to how to prevent a revolution. Thoughtful, insightful, easy to read and to use. He has reaffirmed my faith in some academics. Buy it! Read it! "Cause if you don't, when I call, you will buy whatever I am selling, "cause you haven't got a chance now!

I can sum it up by this, when I was in college a professor assigned us to read a couple of chapters in the book for the next class. I complained saying we had enough on our plates. The professor then told me, James, if you read these chapters and don't find them interesting, I'll give you an "A" in the class. So, trust me, I picked up the book "fully" expecting not to like ... but I couldn't put it down. And true to his word, the professor asked me in front of the class if I thought it was worth the read and I had to say yes and that I found it fascinating.

I found Influence to be a very captivating read. This book gives insight to both those in the marketing field and for every consumer. I see "tricks" outlined in book that people try to use on me all the time ... this book has helped me with defensive techniques at sales pressure. I've also purchased it for several friends.

I highly recommend it.

Advertisers use six psychological principles to take money out of our pockets. They exploit our habit of taking certain shortcuts to make decisions. The author thoroughly explains these six principles by using research data and many interesting and instructive stories. But most importantly he instructs the reader, how to say no, and thus shield herself when weapons of influence are turned on her. In the long run this book could pay for itself a thousand times over.

I wish I could condense the experience of reading this book down to a pill, I'd take it every morning. One of the best books I've ever read. Every chapter is packed with examples, all extremely fascinating.

This book should be required reading for anyone living in a human society. If you are in business of any kind or have kids, buy this book immediately, you won't regret it.

This is one of the best Marketing/Sales books that I have ever read. It is essential for anyone in that business. It came highly recommend from a colleague. I first read the book over 8 years ago and the lessons have stuck with me. I have recommended it to dozens of people. I recently shared it with a hypotherapist, who used the "tips" to make their approach more effective. It's THAT GOOD!

When I look back and think about all the books that I have ever read, this book sticks out more than any other. Robert Cialdini has created a masterpiece here. He has skillfully written a book that explains just how people are influenced through means that are powerful but not necessarily obviously. And he does it using humor and real-world examples.

While reading the book I continually had one "A-HA!" after another. I have applied the principals in this book to help close more sales and improve customer satisfaction. If you ever bought something and then wondered "Why did I just do that?", you need this book. (I love the story about him buying opera tickets. He doesn't even like opera!)

I cannot recommend this book more highly if you are in this field.

Easy to follow, well-populated with examples and utterly fascinating. Of course there will be some variance in reader response due to learning styles and other individual characteristics. I'm convinced, however, that anyone seriously interested in exploring the ways people use communication to influence each other will find this book a great read.

It's worth the investment, folks. Cialdini conveys a deep understanding of human communication in his style and in the depth of his research. The techniques themselves cover many common daily situations in a realistic manner that will have you up and practicing detection by the end of the first chapter. Application is explained too, with the occasional ethical caution.

I'm a 49 y/o with a 3.84 GPA and I have too much experience to rave often, but this book pushed my button.

D

list price is $12.31 , when I checked out , I found adding extra $3.99 .

I was searching for a good book on influence and human psychology, and I found exactly what I was looking for. The information was great, some of the examples were dated (but I have a dated version 1998 I believe), and overall I learned a lot from this book. It has also broadened my curiosity to explore the subject further, after I read it one more time.

Highly recommended.

This is an amazing book which analyzes some rather daily psychological tricks in depth. Cialdini is very profound; I've learned a lot from this book.

I didn't want you to read this review because I am not sure I want everyone to know the power of what is inside of it. However, I feel obligated to the author to let the truth be known about how good it is.

This ONE book has changed the way I view the world. I read it for marketing, but the concepts also apply to virtually every aspect of human life.

To give you an idea of how valuable I think this book is (to people who see value in such useful information), I send this book to clients and friends as gifts to help them in their business and personal lives. Outstanding.

Garrett Todd
"Who else is sick and tired of looking amateur
when putting callers on hold?"
Impress Callers - Custom Messaging and Music On Hold
www.ImpressCallers.com

This book is remarkable! Amazingly for a book of this genre, Cialdini has actually made it into a page-turner. The antecdotes he interleaves into the theory makes it anything but a dry psych text or self help book.

Even before I finished the book I found myself making use of the insights he provides - sometimes to influence others but most often to avoid falling prey to the tactics of others.

If you have even a passing interest in human nature or curiousity about why the world is as it is, buy this book!

A classic, and a must read for anyone in sales, marketing or copywriting. That means if you own a business, this book is for you!

Heck, even if you don't own a business this book will teach a ton about how easily a good salesperson can manipulate you into happily forking over your hard-earned dollars for something you never even knew you wanted. This was actually a college textbook of mine, and it is without a doubt the most enjoyable one I had to read in college. I believe it is so valuable that I've read it again twice since then.

This book blew my mind when I first read.

You're going through life in the dark if you don't understand these 6 principles of persuasion and how pervasive they are in society. They are everywhere!

Social proof - It explains everything from the popularity of kids toys (well, everyone at school has one!) to canned laughter on tv, reviews for movies (Entertainment Weekly calls this....the new summer blockbuster)..to why stocks go up and down to everything. I don't think most people have a clue how much of the world is run on social proof and what everyone else is doing.

On the radio, you'll often hear about contests and giveways. And after someone wins something, the station will invariably say.."And what radio station sent you to see ___ concert?"

The caller replies back...."K101...Wooo hooo!!"

Sounds perfectly harmless until you realize it's a very subtle form of commitment and consistency (making a public declaration that K101 is the greatest thing in the world). What radio station is the best? K101!! Say that twenty times, and what station do you think you'll be hooked to?

It's actuallly commitment and consistency and a little social proof (the caller is also giving a de facto testimonial for the station).

The whole world is awash in these principles and you'll never look at tv, the media, or anything else the same way again. You also have to be very careful with some of these.

A few months ago, someone was out on our street painting the addresses on the curbs. He painted it first, and then asked for a fee (donation) later.

Reciprocity can leave you with a sinking feeling in your stomach, that somehow you have to repay the person that made the concession (even if it was uninvited). If you consciously sense what's going on (the specific principle), you'll be able to handle it much better than if it happened unconsciously.

A must read for everyone.

I have purchased this book with no special interest. I just wanted some light psychological reading. However, when I started it, I could not put it away. Although written in the 80's, this book is an excellent choice for those who want to be reminded of some `basic' basics. I recommend it to all interested in humans everyday behavior.

3rd edition/publication (2007), Collins Business Essentials, 320 pages (of which 280 pages for actual book)

Influence is another of the twenty books Charlie Munger recommends in the second edition of Poor Charlie's Almanack. It's content is excellent (and sometimes even hair-raisingly remarkable - as when he shows that media reporting of suicides actually causes more of them via the social proof bias) but I think Cialdini could have done a much better job of turning the research evidence into useful/practical advice. (The same problem manifests itself in Gilbert's book `Stumbling on Happiness' - though Cialdini's is the better book.)

I was discussing this book with a friend who had also read it and I thought he put it very well: Cialdini is one of those clever people who is not very wise. That is also why Poor Charlie's Almanack is so good and unusual: Munger is both clever and has deliberately attempted to distil a lifetime's worth of reading over a broad subject matter area into practical advice on how to live a successful/useful life.

In particular, Cialdini shows us clearly that a significant number of our psychological biases work completely unconsciously. (By that I mean it can be demonstrated that a certain bias has affected a group of individual's actions/conclusions whilst they strenuously deny they have paid any attention to or are even totally unaware of the biasing factor.) For example, Cialdini quotes one study where "men who saw a new-car ad that included a seductive young woman model rated the car as faster, more appealing, more expensive-looking, and better designed than did men who saw the same ad without the model. Yet when asked later, the men refused to believe that the presence of the young woman had influenced their judgements."

He then goes on to suggest various complicated ways to try to monitor ourselves to see if we are being affected by some of these biases - in order that we can attempt to limit the damage from faulty decisions (often in situations deliberately set up to cause our faulty decisions to be detrimental to us and advantageous to some other). For example, he highlights the "extreme caution" needed in auction situations where one encounters the "devilish construction of scarcity plus rivalry" - and suggests that we watch ourselves for signs of arousal so that we can stop short.

Well, I think Munger and his partner Warren Buffett have a much more practical and simpler way of dealing with that problem, based on the wisdom of the rustic that Munger likes to quote: "all I want to know is where I'm going to die so can avoid going there." The whole thrust of Cialdini's book is that these biases are often unconscious and are in any case often very strong (and usually much stronger that we believe/expect) - which is another way of saying you're unlikely to have good results fighting against them.

Much better to simply bypass the problem where possible and do as Buffett does and refuse to get involved in auction situations. Using rules like this, to paraphrase Munger on a different subject (tax shelters): if you always avoid auction situations you might miss out on the odd good deal, but overall your life is likely to be better.

This is also why I consider Taleb (Fooled by Randomness) to be much wiser than Cialdini: he understands that being aware of biases doesn't make them go away. You need tricks and methods to live successfully with them.

I also think the advice in Cialdini's epilogue is very poor. He suggests that we rise up to fight people/organisations who misuse our psychological biases for their own ends: "In short, we should be willing to use boycott, threat, confrontation, censure, tirade, nearly anything, to retaliate."

This is crazy advice: the effort and time required to do it would leave little for anything else and would also guarantee a miserable life focussed on negativity. It also shows Cialdini's lack of familiarity with good training principles (an excellent book on the subject is Karen Pryor's `Don't Shoot The Dog'). Plenty of research now shows that positive reinforcement (rewarding behaviour you like) is at least as effective as negative reinforcement and much more so than punishment. It also has the huge benefit of leading to a much more pleasant life.

However, even with those caveats (essentially that you have to do your own thinking about how to cope with the biases that Cialdini does an excellent job of laying out) it is still a very useful book.

What a great book for any one who deals with marketing or dealing with people in any way. A must read. This is a book you will want to read more than once.

VERY interesting read. Throughout the text, Cialdini writes as if his target audience were normal people trying to learn how to defend themselves from "compliance professionals," but let's be honest here... the real market for this book is marketers and salespeople. Even the review blurb on the cover says the book is for marketers.

I've had sales jobs before, but never once have I been very good. Having read this book, now I know why. I was taking my advice from successful salepeople who weren't sharing their real secrets. How many times did I listen to improve-your-sales audiobooks without ever learning something as basic as the psychology behind reciprocation?

I hope never to have to sell or market anything myself, ever again. If the success of my business ever relies upon my ability to convince and persuade strangers to part with their money, then my company is doomed. But, having read Influence, my company is at least slightly less doomed than it was before. If I ever hire sales people, Influence will be part of their week 1 training.

The great thing about this book is that it does, in fact, teach you step-by-step how people are persuading and convincing you to part with your money. Even if, like me, you have little interest in being in sales or marketing, you might learn how to spot devious sales techniques with much more precision than before. I also learned a little about child psychology (social proof) that I'm going to use with my own kids.

This book in the wrong hands could be dangerous! This one of those rare books that will change the way you look at the world forever. Take action today and put this one in your library.

Jeb Blount
Author, PowerPrinciples: Do You Have The Winning Edge?

First, this is a great book, I wish I had read it at age 15, 25, and 35. Although, even revised, you can tell it was written in the 70's; it detracts nothing from the book - it only shows that it is as relevent today as it was 35 years ago, and that it will be relevent in an other 35 years.

Cialdini makes a strong case on how we streamline our mental load by making automated decisions, and in doing so, allow ourselves to be easily manipulated by add men, con artists, group think, authority figures and ourselves.

The book is well written. To me that means, a pleasant, easy read, where you do not have to reread paragraphs multiple times to make sense out of mangled sentences.
The weakness in the book is that most of the counter measures he recommends will do little. We are not going to change the advertising industry by complaining that thier ads are successful. The real counter measure is to understand why we are susceptable, and live thoughtfully. There is a counter measure in the book that might save your life, and that is worth knowing and teaching to your children. (In a few words: in a crowd, if you need help, point to an individual and ask that person for help, or else herd mentality will take over and no-one will help).

This in not a book on marketing (even though it is advertised as one and its information may be used for this). It is more a book on behavior, and informative of how to liberate yourself from automaticity

Showed me how I have been hooked so often and how to recognize it in the future. Highly recommend. It will stay in my library for future reference. The price of the book will be recouped by not being snookered again.

I received the book with a clearly cracked spine. I returned the book and received another book. Due to poor packaging of the book, however, the second book I received was banged up. Tired of the process but still wanting the book to read, I gave up and held onto the second banged up book. Only so many times you want to go through the process..

Although a bit dry at times, this is the best book on Influencing people I've ever read. It uses great academic and real world examples to demonstrate how people can influence others and how you can avoid being influenced by someone utilizing influencing strategies on you. The book can be dry at times, but that is mainly because this is not a gimmick book about 7 steps to better influence or some framework. It is steeped in information and data and therefore, it offers a rigorous understanding of this topic. Highly recommended.

From a pure curiosity perspective, or if you are in sales, this book presents some very interesting aspects on influence.

I read an interview with the author and was so intrigued that I had to buy the book. I was not disappointed. If you spend time thinking of these concepts, you will be better enlightened, whether it be for your personal knowledge or insight into sales concepts.

I remember reading the very first edition of this book in a library and still remember the white hard cover on it. It made such a lasting impression on me that this became the very first book I ever bought. It's almost impossible to believe that it has stood the test of time for the past 15 years.

The writing is comprehensive and solidly based on pscyhological research as well as personal anecdodal evidence. unlike many books of today on the subject that are pure fluff, you will get more from this book the more you read it.

Hardly a publicized book, it has been in Amazon's top 300 books forever and should have become a bestseller by all accounts. Someday I hope to write a book just like this.

Yes, this book is everything it is cracked-up to be. Even if it had NO practical application to life, it is still a great and interesting read.

But of course, since it is about people and unshadows the many mysteries behind our various behaviors, it has tremendous use and application to enhancing social interactions, whatever your field.

What I especially love is the author's command of his subject matter, that allows him to write clearly, succinctly, and without the air of someone trying to "sell" his points. These typically known and common sense principles are organized in a way that demonstrates their true power in our lives. The book centers on only 6 basic principles that create influence over others, and while that disappointed me initially, in the end I saw that 6 is plenty.

To conclude - read this book. It will help you be a more balanced decision-maker while helping you avoid the mistakes we all make when attempting to achieve something important to us.