How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 193

company finally won the case. Given the ramifications, perhaps it would
have been better if the company had just cut their losses and moved on.
[1]R. E. Knox and J. A. Inkster, "Post-decision Dissonance at Post-time,"
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 18 (1968): 319–323.
[2]J. C. Younger, L. Walker, and A. S. Arrowood, "Post-decision
Dissonance at the Fair," Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 3
(1977): 284–287.
[3]David Mitchie, Invisible Persuaders (New York: Bantam Books,
1988), p. 95.
Using Dissonance to Create Action
Dissonance is a powerful tool in helping others make and keep
commitments. In one study, researchers staged thefts to test the reactions
of onlookers. On a beach in New York City, the researchers randomly
selected an accomplice to place his beach towel and portable radio five
feet away. After relaxing there for a while, the accomplice got up and left.
After the accomplice had departed, one of the researchers, pretending to
be a thief, stole the radio. As you might imagine, hardly anyone reacted to
the stage theft. Very few people were willing to put themselves at risk by
confronting the thief. In fact, over the course of twenty staged thefts, only
four people (20 percent) made any attempt to hinder the thief.
The researchers staged the same theft twenty more times, only this time
with one slight difference repeated in each scenario. The minor alteration
brought drastically different results. This time, before leaving, the
accomplice asked each person sitting next to him, "Could you please
watch my things?" Each person consented. This time, with the Law of
Dissonance at work, nineteen out of twenty (95 percent) individuals
sought to stop the thief by chasing, grabbing back the radio, and in some
cases, even physically restraining him.
Most people try to follow through when they promise they will do
something — especially if it is in writing. This is why corporations
sponsor writing contests about social issues or their products. They really
don't care about your writing style. What they're really looking for is
consumer endorsement. The writer puts down, in her own words, what she
thinks the company wants to hear about its issue or product. Having made
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