Here is Blaise Pascal on persuasion, as pointed out by BrainPickings.

The short of it is that: People have to discover what they have missed on their own.

When confronted with someone I disagree with, I have found that saying:

Oh, I completely agree. I also think it’s true that…

This simple phrase immediately puts us both on the same team, and diffuses any possible conflict.

Pascal says it like this:

When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true, and admit that truth to him, but reveal to him the side on which it is false. He is satisfied with that, for he sees that he was not mistaken, and that he only failed to see all sides. Now, no one is offended at not seeing everything; but one does not like to be mistaken, and that perhaps arises from the fact that man naturally cannot see everything, and that naturally he cannot err in the side he looks at, since the perceptions of our senses are always true.

And:

People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.

Here are 31 more persuasion tips if you want more.

And 20 more from Robert Cialdini.

Here are 20 techniques of persuasion that I learned from Robert Cialdini in his book Influence (Amazon).

#1.
Scarcity motivates.

• For if I can’t get it tomorrow, I better get it today.

#2.
Competition can motivate people too.

• Because if only one of us can have it, I don’t want to miss out.

#3.
There is an allure of the forbidden. For children too.

• Want a teen to listen to a song? Get their parents to forbid it.

#4.
You can create scarcity by imposing a deadline.

• See, artificial scarcity works too.

#5.
The visuals of a situation matter.

• The visuals of something rule the day. See the McGurk Effect.

#6.
Status and credentials can be imposing. And people will follow authority.

• Doctors and celebrities endorsing things is not an accident.

#7.
People are drawn to similarities.

• Don’t get a California lawyer to talk to a rural Texas jury. Get it?

#8.
Free food works.

• Because all reciprocity works.

#9.
Positive association can be powerful. For attractive is better than unattractive. And we hate negative association.

• Associate with your brand with things people like, and things that make people safe and happy.

#10.
If in doubt, praise people.

• Giving an adult affirmation is so rare it will stand out like a rose in winter.

#11.
Relationships are everything.

• Naturally, my best friend can sell me easier than a stranger.

#12.
People tend to go along with the people around them. Kids use this too.

• Texans are prickly about Oklahoma people. Why? Because other Texans are prickly about Oklahoma people.

#13.
People follow inner responsibilities, not external rules.

• This is important in general persuasion, and paramount in parenting.

#14.
Tell people who they are.

• For we are hardwired with a need to be consistent.

#15.
Give people concessions during a negotiation.

• Allowing others to have some of what they want makes them more likely to give you some of what you want.

#16.
Exaggerate what you want. Because being willing to compromise is persuasive.

• In order to give something to others in #15, ask for more than you want to begin with.

#17.
Be generous to others. Give favors, and gifts, and money.

• Because people are hardwired for reciprocity.

#18.
Show contrasts and highlight the differences in things.

• This has to do with setting a mental anchor.

#19.
Keep it simple.

• For people are drawn to clarity.

#20.
Make people think they are getting a good deal.

• The prospect of a fleeting good deal is a highly motivating.

Do not miss my other popular post: 31 Persuasion Tips I Learned From Scott Adams