How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 153

are uncertain, we are more likely to trust in the collective knowledge of
the crowd. This explains herd or lemming behaviour. For example when
there is panic in the stock market everyone follows everyone else and
sells, however great investors such as Warren Buffett, know that this is
the time when the best bargains are to be had, and instead, buy.
Social Proof – People will do what other people are doing. That’s why
it’s great to show who is taking action for your cause – others are
likely to conform.
People decide what’s right for them based on what others like them are
doing. It’s a decision-making short cut. SO… we need to let board
members know what other board members are giving, tell banks that other
banks are sponsoring us, and so on. And, of course, if you’ve got great
Yelp reviews and FB likes, by all means promote them.
The law of commitment and consistency
Consistency is seen as desirable as it is associated with strength,
honesty, stability and logic. Inconsistent people may be seen as twofaced, indecisive and "butterflies": never committing themselves for long
enough to complete tasks. People will do more to stay consistent with
their commitments and beliefs if they have already taken a small initial
step.
If you can get someone to do you a small favour, they are more likely to
grant you a larger favour later on. If someone does you a favour, let
them know afterwards what happened: they will appreciate your
feedback and may be able to help you further in future.
We evaluate a university more positively when we have got into it or a car
we have bought when we own it. We look for the good points in the
choice we have made or items we have bought as this justifies to
ourselves our consistency of choice.
Commitment and Consistency – If people commit to an idea or goal,
they are more likely to follow through. It’s why pledging is a great
option for people who aren’t ready to take action.

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