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Persuasion surrounds us everywhere. Hungry? Restaurants will invite you to dine in their place. Interested in a movie? There will be plenty of ads to suggest which ones you should see. People always influence us, and it is easy to overlook this fact.

Persuasion is simply part of social life. the idea of either symbolically or rationally make us think in certain ways, or accept new ideas and be compelled to take certain actions is actually what Psychology is.

Of the many ways in which persuasion can affect us, here are some that the Psychology of Persuasion can tell us about how to influence other people:

o Create a need. this is a well-known method of persuading; you should create a need or add some appeal to one that’s already there. this kind of persuasion appeals to some deep-seated needs. They include love, security, self-respect, or self-actualization.

o Appeal to social needs. this is another way in which persuasion can work effectively. what comes under this rubric is the idea of popularity or even fame. one way in which this kind of persuasion takes place is in those television ads where a famous person is endorsing a product. the idea behind this is that if you use the same product, you are going to be like that celebrity in some way. this kind of advertising is quite an effective use of persuasion.

o Applying loaded words or images. many an advertiser will rely on the use of certain positive terms to be associated with the products they sell.

The Psychology of Persuasion has, then, to do with inculcating certain values and beliefs so that the targeted people change their actions by changing their ways of thinking. These strategies are mentioned in the paragraph above. in its literal sense, psychology is the study of the soul, and the soul in this sense is the actual individual. this way Psychology is involved in issues concerning pleasure or pain, and these issues can have a great influence on your values and can influence the ways in which you might use new skills. Persuasion is, therefore, a kind of leading of people along lines that you can both appreciate.

Thus, this way can take people to new experiences that coincide with their expectations. And if the expectations are such that they change the way a person thinks, persuasion will have covered both points – namely, that of the persuader and that of the persuaded. this can lead to customers buying more products and salespeople racking up more sales.

The Psychology of Persuasion is a powerful tool which is applied by politicians, business leaders, and even ministers of various religions. the application of this methods of influencing people is both practical and quite reasonable. even those who are not experts in psychology can see this.

And, of course, this kind of persuasiveness can be utilized in our everyday lives as well. we can easily adapt certain types of reactions when we are being persuaded in different ways. the reactions thus brought about can even predict certain future behaviors concerning the adaptation of certain ideas and actions. the problem is that individuals intent on deceiving us can also utilize these techniques. Once you are cognizant of this, you can actually determine whether you have been influenced for better or worse.

will Rogers was one of the most revered public figures in the early 1900s, and much of his popularity was due to his tremendous understanding of and connection with people. As a keen student of human nature, Rogers unsurprisingly identified a fundamental key to successful change in his statement: “it isn’t what we don’t know that gives us trouble; it’s what we know that ain’t so.”

how many changes have been hampered by individuals who rigidly hold onto the current state because of something they “know” that ain’t so? for example, when U.S. auto manufacturers first observed lean production, they refused to believe their own eyes. “You can’t build cars that way — not enough inventory.” They struggled to understand a world that didn’t fit into their view of reality even when faced with clear evidence.

Our collection of deep-seated beliefs and assumptions create our view of the world. Often these beliefs and assumptions are so deep-seated that we don’t realize they are in play. when faced with evidence that conflicts with our beliefs, we look for flaws in the evidence rather than flaws in our beliefs.

this collection of beliefs and assumptions create our paradigm or view of the world and can be painfully difficult to change. when taking an organization through change, it is important to accept that much of the resistance that occurs can be traced to the inherent difficulty in releasing paradigms. As enlightened change agents, we need to understand paradigms and how best to change them.

Paradigms are held in place by three factors:

1. Background – what one has been taught and accepts as true (e.g., “the world is flat.”)
2. Experience – “this is the way I have always done it,” or “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
3. Knowledge – New information.

Often we attempt to change paradigms solely through new information, such as when the car executives toured the lean production plant. Since their background and manufacturing experience conflicted with this new information, they challenged the information as incomplete or inconclusive.

on the other end of the spectrum, a person’s background is built over his lifetime, so short of going back in time to make changes (or the onset of amnesia), there is not much promise of changing paradigms there.

That leaves the middle factor — experience. this is where we get the most powerful element in changing a paradigm. once someone has a new experience that disproves their assumption, they can no longer argue with the evidence. if you get creative, you can almost always find a way to provide a new experience that can effectively change a paradigm, even when faced with a strong resistance to change. Some strategies include:

       1. “Just try it.”  Often we don’t need you to believe it or agree with it — just try it. fear of the unknown is a powerful obstacle. Just make it easy for them to try it and see what the results are. when implementing visual control boards in a plant, the operators were pushing back. the enlightened supervisor appealed to the operators with: “Just give it a try. We’ve got nothing to lose, and we may learn something.”

        2. “give it your best shot.”  Appealing to a person’s ego can be a powerful factor. consider the example of the experienced mechanic who didn’t want to use the new laser alignment tool. the enlightened supervisor appealed to the mechanic’s self-esteem with the request: “You’re my top mechanic. I would like you to use the new procedure. give me your best effort, and let’s see what the results are.”

        3. “Let’s learn together.”  A consultant was brought in to help a plant reduce changeover times. the supervisor (unsurprisingly) resisted. the consultant proposed: “Let’s videotape the changeover, and then we will review it together. if we don’t find any opportunities, then so be it.” Needless to say, the supervisor found all sorts of opportunities.

too many times, change is approached with a heaping dose of 1950s parental encouragement, i.e., “because I said so.” Maybe not intentionally or with those words, but the eagerness to get things moving often leaves insufficient room to let people learn for themselves. by changing the process to include discovery and experience, you build successes and momentum.

About the Author

With more than 20 years of experience in organizational design, change management and delivering sustainable improvements, Scott Franklin is a well-respected authority on organizational change, specializing in the leadership responsibilities of change management. Scott is a Prosci-certified change management professional and a certified trainer for Prosci’s change management programs. He brings specific expertise in the areas of creating a combined learning organization in parallel with a strengths-based organization while simultaneously creating a culture of execution. You can reach Scott at .

By Wendy Li | October 13, 2011 8:54 AM EDT

Google+ traffic has plunged more than 60 percent after it went public on September 20, which makes everyone wonder whether the new-born social network has run out of breath already.

Initially, Google+ only invited limited number people to join and during the “invite-only” phase, it generated considerable traffic. at that time, many people were interested in Google+, which was believed as the next social networking craze, and those invited thought themselves as privileged. the popularity continued especially when the Internet search giant opened the doors to its social network to the public on Sept. 20. the massive inflow of new members continued, resulting in a traffic jump of 1,200 percent within a few days.

However, the dream run didn’t seem to last long. according to a Chitika Insights’ recent report, since Sept. 22, the traffic plummeted by 60 percent, back to pretty much the same level it was before it opened to the public.

Without a doubt, the soaring traffic at the beginning has proven that Google+ can attract users. But it doesn’t mean the users will continue actively to use this service. Chitika believes that one of the reasons traffic dropped so drastically is that Google+ doesn’t offer any service, which other social media doesn’t. As a new emerging social network, if Google+ loses exclusive advantages, it will be difficult to drive the users to be loyal to the new platform. Join the Conversation

3000 years before Christ the Chinese used enamel on their fingers. They applied the substance and left it to sit for several hours, the result; a pink finish on their nails. This was the beginning of nail art and the earliest records. the Indians also practiced nail art in a similar period using a dye derived from the Henna plant. This sometimes implied a social significance. Egyptians were another civilization that used nail art early on. the colour of ladies nails were used to identify what class in society you were in. the higher class wore deep shades of red and lower classes wore pale shades. another mother of nail art was the Inca civilization who actually painted images of eagles on their fingertips.

The modernization of nail design began early in the 19th century. Orange wood sticks were developed in Europe beginning the process. Modern manicures began with this invention around 1830. the popularity created business opportunities and salons started to pop up across the US by late 19th century.

After the creation of the automobile and more importantly the mass production of them, a new range of paints entered the market on the demand of car enthusiasts giving new life to nail art. one of the first design to become poplar was what was knows as the moon manicure. This nail art design involved painting the middle of the nail while leaving the moon of the nail unpainted.

The next revolution came from he Revson brothers, with their invention of a new kind of nail enamel and their creation of the company Revlon. the third partner in the business was a Charles Lachman who inspired the L in the middle of the company name. Their use of pigments instead of dyes changed the industry dramatically. This allowed for new colours and designs to quickly be adapted. the success instantly made Revlon an industry leader by 1940 and it was clear that nail art was here to stay.

As time moved on, nail art became a symbol to communicate between subcultures. Goths for example started to sport black nail polish, as did rock stars and punks.

Since then, nail art has become more creative and artistic. Many trends have come about such as the addition of symbols and crystals, air brushing, acrylic and gel nail enhancements. Nail art has become integrated into the world of fashion and is now sported as an accessory to any look.

The latest’s in nail fashion? Nail wraps such as the metallic nails range. These wraps are pre-printed designs from a digital printer, allowing for complex patterns and reflective metallic finishes that are not possible through traditional methods. They are applied with heat activation and allow for designs to be finished in a fraction of the time. Not only this but they protect nails from scratches and don’t chip like traditional products. They last for over 1 month and truly are the latest breakthrough in nail art.