Category: How to get people to do stuff

  • 365 Ways To Persuade & Motivate: #2 Use The Word “Because”

    365 Ways To Persuade & Motivate: #2 Use The Word “Because”

    In the first blog post of this new “365” series I cited new research on eye contact. But sometimes I think it’s important to go back to “foundational” (i.e. old!) research. So #2 in the series comes from research conducted in 1978.  Ellen Langer (Professor of Psychology at Harvard) published a research study about the…

  • 365 Ways To Persuade & Motivate: #1 Direct Eye Contact Is Not Always Best

    365 Ways To Persuade & Motivate: #1 Direct Eye Contact Is Not Always Best

    We’ve all been told how important it is to make eye contact when interacting with other people. Direct eye contact makes you seem trustworthy, confident, and interested in the topic you are discussing, right? All those things are true BUT new research shows that direct eye contact can lessen the effectiveness of your message in…

  • How To Get People To Do Stuff #6: Hot drinks, soft pillows & heavy objects

    How To Get People To Do Stuff #6: Hot drinks, soft pillows & heavy objects

    Do you think you’d make different decisions if you were holding something heavy in your hand than holding nothing? Or if you were holding a cup of hot coffee instead of a cold drink? Sounds unlikely, but it’s true: Here’s a video about “haptic sensations.” Or, if you prefer, you can read the summary text…

  • How To Get People To Do Stuff Book Tour

    How To Get People To Do Stuff Book Tour

    To celebrate my new book, I’m going on a book tour! I will be touring the US and Europe and speaking on the new book How to Get People to Do Stuff. If you’d like me to come speak/lead a discussion or have a Q&A in your city or for your group, let me know.…