7.1 Persuasion in Negotiation

Persuasion is the art of influencing the thoughts and actions of others through specific strategies. Just like a dance, persuasion is also an art. It can be likened to leading the dance. We must remember, though, that persuading is not the same as forcing or coercing the other party into thinking or acting in a certain way; rather, it is about encouraging voluntary change through specific persuasive strategies.

Imagine a dance where one dance partner pulls the other dancer across the floor versus leading them gracefully through the dance. We want our persuasion to be graceful and beautiful so that the other party is unaware of our persuasive power. This chapter will focus on the Six Laws of Persuasion proposed by Robert Cialdini (1993) and how we can apply these principles to our negotiations.