subject: Covert Persuasion And Influence-The Consistency Principle [print this page] Covert Persuasion And Influence-The Consistency Principle
In the realm of persuasion, there is a very powerful principle known as the Consistency Principle which, if harnessed correctly, can have many useful applications that can help us in various areas of our lives.
Simply put, the Consistency Principle states that people like to be consistent, whether it is in what they say or what they do. This could be due to the fact that people who are inconsistent are given undesirable labels such as hypocrites.
So how do we harness the power of this powerful principle? Here are a few tips.
For example, if you have a friend who hasn't been able to quit smoking for years, the consistency principle could play a part in helping your friend quit. Advise this person to announce to as large a group of people as possible that he or she intends to quit smoking.
Also, your friend could mail a card to all the people he or she knows (your boss, ex-boyfriend, etc) with the words "I aim to quit smoking" together with his or her name.
The rationale behind this is that people tend to behave consistently with regards to their statements and actions and this is a large enough driving force that increases the chances of your friend quitting.
Additionally, this public commitment tactic may work especially well for individuals with high levels of pride as they feel an even greater tendency to live up to their words.
If you're a leader who wants to motivate the people under you to do a good job, you could give them each a positive label. For example, you could say to one worker "I know you're an efficient worker who can get things done quickly".
Your labeling of the worker as "efficient" will result in the worker trying to live up to this label that you have given him, as the worker wants to be consistent with this label.
Thus, to increase efficiency, all you have to do is tell one of your workers that he or she is efficient and watch as they try to live up to your label by producing more results.
To achieve even better results, you could be more specific in your labeling. For example, you could say "John, I know that you're a efficient writer who can churn out three quality articles per day and I need you to be at your best now"
If you're a parent, you could assign positive qualities to your children. You'll find that your children would respond better to these positive qualities assigned to them as they would try to live up to your expectations than if you were to criticize them to achieve these positive qualities.
The Consistency Principle can be applied in various social situations. Just make sure that the label or commitment is clearly communicated to achieve optimum results.
