Discover new kitchen selections
Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
  • Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $19.49
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

Pre-Suasion: Channeling Attention for Change Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,376 ratings

The author of the legendary best seller Influence, social psychologist Robert Cialdini, shines a light on effective persuasion and reveals that the secret doesn't lie in the message itself but in the key moment before that message is delivered.

What separates effective communicators from truly successful persuaders? Using the same combination of rigorous scientific research and accessibility that made his Influence an iconic best seller, Robert Cialdini explains how to capitalize on the essential window of time before you deliver an important message. This "privileged moment for change" prepares people to be receptive to a message before they experience it. Optimal persuasion is achieved only through optimal pre-suasion. In other words, to change minds, a pre-suader must also change states of mind.

His first solo work in over 30 years, Cialdini's Pre-Suasion draws on his extensive experience as the most cited social psychologist of our time and explains the techniques a person should implement to become a master persuader. Altering a listener's attitudes, beliefs, or experiences isn't necessary, says Cialdini - all that's required is for a communicator to redirect the audience's focus of attention before a relevant action.

From studies on advertising imagery to treating opiate addiction, from the annual letters of Berkshire Hathaway to the annals of history, Cialdini draws on an array of studies and narratives to outline the specific techniques you can use on online marketing campaigns and even effective wartime propaganda. He illustrates how the artful diversion of attention leads to successful pre-suasion and gets your targeted audience primed and ready to say yes.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 24 minutes
  2. Author
    Robert B. Cialdini
  3. Narrator
    John Bedford Lloyd
  4. Audible release date
    September 6, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster Audio
  7. ASIN
    B01JAYK6HI
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 24 minutes
Author Robert B. Cialdini
Narrator John Bedford Lloyd
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 06, 2016
Publisher Simon & Schuster Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01JAYK6HI
Best Sellers Rank #5,160 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2 in Consumer Behavior (Audible Books & Originals)
#6 in Marketing & Consumer Behavior
#28 in Medical Social Psychology & Interactions

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,376 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched and informative about subconscious strategies, with one review highlighting its comprehensive approach to persuasion. Moreover, the writing style receives positive feedback, with customers noting it's easy to read and essential for professionals. Additionally, the presentation is praised as a masterpiece from Cialdini, and customers appreciate its humor. However, the book's pace receives mixed reactions, with some finding it slow while others appreciate how quickly it gets readers up to speed. Customers disagree on the number of citations, with some appreciating the extensive references while others find them excessive.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

163 customers mention "Insight"152 positive11 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-researched, with one customer noting how it combines wisdom and science, while another mentions how the stories and lessons have real-world applications.

"...Another interesting comment in the book says that research shows performing an action and imagining performing an action involves some of the same..." Read more

"...That is the value of pre-planning, and the value of understanding the insights of Pre-Suasion. Read this book, you will be pleased you did...." Read more

"...The book is full of fascinating anecdotes illustrating the persuasive strategies that make you think at once "Holy cow that's like voodoo"..." Read more

"...The book brought science to the art of persuasion, and set out the famed Six Principles of Influence: social proof, reciprocation, authority, liking..." Read more

149 customers mention "Readability"138 positive11 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a brilliant and entertaining read that is worth reading multiple times.

"...Dancing, anyone? This fascinating book has a wealth of ideas that will make you more aware of the factors that influence you and prepare..." Read more

"...Six Principles of Influence: social proof, reciprocation, authority, liking, scarcity and consistency...." Read more

"...This is a good book that will help readers appreciate the dynamics of the many persuasive activities that surround them." Read more

"...There are good things in this book...." Read more

64 customers mention "Writing style"48 positive16 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it well written and easy to read, and consider it a must-read for professionals.

"...One physics class? How can that be a valid sample? Better by a full letter grade? Better than what? Better than their peers?..." Read more

"...Robert Cialdini’s work in the 1980s, through his clarifying and legendary book, Influence: Science and Practice, which is as popular as ever today..." Read more

"...First off, Cialdini has a great writing style; he neither talks down to nor over the heads of his audience...." Read more

"...The author's writing style is generally quite academic...." Read more

24 customers mention "Presentation"21 positive3 negative

Customers find the book well presented and eye-opening, describing it as a masterpiece from Cialdini.

"...Instead of being a great sequel to a legendary book, this one is filled with slipshod research, questionable assertions, and sloppy writing...." Read more

"...His style is witty, even conversational...." Read more

"...The book is easy to read, the style and humor is just great! Magnificent.... how can I persuade you to read it?..." Read more

"...Cialdini combines wisdom and science with an entertaining and intriguing presentation, offering striking real life examples...." Read more

9 customers mention "Humor"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it entertaining and funny.

"...I found Pre-suasion to be a lively and engaging book. It’s a tour through social psychology...." Read more

"...work but maybe not as path breaking and (arguably) entertaining as Influence (at least as a casual reader)...." Read more

"...The book is easy to read, the style and humor is just great! Magnificent.... how can I persuade you to read it?..." Read more

"Robert Cialdini combines wisdom and science with an entertaining and intriguing presentation, offering striking real life examples...." Read more

10 customers mention "Citations"3 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the citations in the book, with some appreciating the nearly 200 pages of references and notes, while others find it bogged down with citations and dense to read.

"...As has been stated in other reviews, the book isn't really 300 pages, it's really about 200 pages, with a very thing section of references making up..." Read more

"...A minor complaint is that out of a 413 page book, only 233 pages are readable since the rest are references, notes and index." Read more

"...There is a good 10 minute summary of the work here. [...] Someone recently recommended that I read his new book Pre-suasion...." Read more

"...of sales 101, boring unrelatable side stories and nearly 200 pages of references and notes. This book is a complete waste of money...." Read more

6 customers mention "Pace"4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pace of the book, with some finding it quick to follow while others note it moves quite slowly.

"...Privileged moments: timing is huge. Get people at the right time, and compliance goes way up. •..." Read more

"...exhibited by the author in this book is deep, and a quick read won't serve you well. This is a book (Like the author's first) that you study...." Read more

"...You won't be able to put the book down. It's a fast read and keeps you wanting more. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...in the field like Influence, Predictably Irrational, and Thinking Fast and Slow. I’ll be re-reading this book several times...." Read more

5 customers mention "Audience appeal"0 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's audience appeal, with some finding it boring and unrelatable, while others note it's not as stimulating as they had hoped.

"...supposedly such a wiz at persuasion....really, so little awareness of audience interest span...way too much supporting info, anecdotes, news examples..." Read more

"...It is still a good book. Less practical for many readers. Lots of the tricks here cannot be used without practice." Read more

"...The book is 233 pages of sales 101, boring unrelatable side stories and nearly 200 pages of references and notes...." Read more

"Not as good as Influence. Good to read in conjunction with The Undoing Project." Read more

Great minds think alike!
5 out of 5 stars
Great minds think alike!
Dr. Cialdini uses many of the ideas of which I've included in my blog! Great minds think alike! I wrote about choosing words carefully, gaining fascination affects (getting and keeping attention), and my whistle experiment is surely worthy of a pre-suasion technique. I was able to bargain in Mexico just by whistling! If you'd like to learn more then go to: anglesofpersuasion.wordpress.com You can find out about story-telling and the campaign success of the ALS ice bucket challenge! Learn the power of clichés.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Douglas Winslow Cooper
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's What's Up front That Counts, Often
    Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression” we’ve been advised. Turns out that making a first impression, the opening line or gambit in persuasion, greatly influences the response of the “target” to what follows.

    Cialdini doesn’t give this example, but I like it: if you are talking about capital punishment or about foreign orphans, your listener will give you a very different answer if later on asked to spell “euthanasia” (“youth in Asia”). We pay attention to what we are set up to expect.

    Dr. Cialdini give many examples of experimental results showing the influence of the preambles to attempts to influence. Sofa or mattress ads with background clouds got buyers to emphasis comfort and pay more than did ads with background coins…for the same set of product options. The texts were the same, but the illustrations were the sub-texts. Many other examples are given, and often the respondents were still influenced weeks later even when having forgotten seeing the ads at all.

    Heavily documented, the book is half narrative and half references and notes.

    Cialdini’s seminal best-selling book, INFLUENCE, decades old now and still widely cited, discussed the following types of appeals:

    Reciprocation: If someone does something for us, we feel obligated to do a favor in return. Not only does the author have studies to show this, he tells how he fell prey himself. Gifts that are meaningful, unexpected, and customized for the recipient are particularly effective.

    Liking: Salespeople are urged to try to get the prospects to like them. They are told to dress well, be pleasant, friendly, joke a bit, emphasize commonalities, and provide compliments. Some politicians are careful even to imitate the speaking patterns of their audiences around the country.

    Social Proof: I recall there was a play and a song with the title “50 Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong.” This was an appeal to “social proof,” one that held more sway, probably, for the French than it did for the Americans. Still, polls get rapt attention by some, and we are influenced by the preferences of others, sometimes appropriately so.

    Authority: If someone who should know tells us something, we are inclined to believe it. Expert opinion is quite persuasive…until contradicted by another expert. Your position on man-made global warming will be strongly influenced by which experts to whom you give credence. Particularly persuasive are those who admit their imperfections up front, then make their points definitively. Cialdini shows how Warren Buffett has mastered this.

    Scarcity: “Get it while it’s hot” and “only a few left” and “only x per customer” are variants of the appeal to FOMO, Fear of Missing Out. The perceived values of many things depend in part on utility and scarcity: water in the desert versus at the lake.

    Consistency: We like to think of ourselves as consistent, despite Ralph Waldo Emerson’s warning against “a foolish consistency….” It is a virtue of sorts. Mall denizens when asked whether they would sample a new soda flavor agreed much more often when the request was preceded by asking them whether they were adventurous. Most said they were, and most then sampled the new drink, in contrast to what happened when there was no introductory, pre-suasion, question.

    These first six were important parts of Cialdini’s INFLUENCE. Subsequently, he has come to add a seventh principal factor of influence: the idea that some others are not merely like us, but are one of us, he terms this

    Unity: how we feel about a family member, such as a sibling, as opposed to a friend or colleague. It is not just DNA, although race and ethnicity are often in this category, but some other associations sometimes carry this weight: gender, age, political and religious affiliations. You know it when you feel it: “this person is one of Us.” Much stronger than “like us.” One element is that the conduct of one of the members affects the self-esteem of the others, “we is the shared me.” Actual kinship and the occupying of the same place are two elements that can lead to this feeling, as can moving together, acting together, for example in celebration. Dancing, anyone?

    This fascinating book has a wealth of ideas that will make you more aware of the factors that influence you and prepare you to be more skilled when you seek to influence others.
    20 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Daniel V. Rusteen
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very worthwhile, easy, engaging read that will better your life
    Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Summary: There are certain moments that can be created to influence future actions to be more favorable towards your desired outcome, however, these are usually temporary windows of opportunity.

    A person’s choice is usually related to the amount of attention given. If you want someone to make a certain selection, give it more attention by elevating its importance. If we can focus someones attention, it makes that thing more important to them than before. Interestingly, this directly applies to the “pick-up artist” community which talks a lot about maintaining the attention of the girl or the group for as long as possible.

    A quite interesting anecdote is about starting prices on online auction sites like eBay. Turns out, starting your auction low is best because it will generate more bidders and future bidders are likely to confuse that added interest with the worth of the product rather than the initial price. This is social proof and actually something I did in my high school days to earn money by selling used PDAs on eBay.

    Another interesting comment in the book says that research shows performing an action and imagining performing an action involves some of the same brain components. In NLP: The Essential Guide, a study is referenced in which three groups were told to either not practice shooting free throws, mentally practice, or physically practice and those who only mentally practiced scored within 1 point of those who physically practiced (those who did not practice showed no improvements).

    The one hold-up I have with this book which the author unknowingly brought to my attention due to his repeated attack on the industry professionals who do not value the scientific studies mentioned in the book, who do not believe they relate to the real world. I never thought about it before, but you can manipulate knowingly or unknowingly a study to favor your outcome. Plus, if you have a hypothesis, and you use up your (or someone else’s) time and money to research it, you want a positive outcome at the end.

    Additionally, if you test for something a dozen different ways, you’re bound to get the outcome you want. To me, these are huge blemishes that need to be addressed.
    14 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Dr. Hans Boehnke
    5.0 out of 5 stars It is also an excellent book teaching us that what we say directly before ...
    Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is the sequel to the book Influence. It is also an excellent book teaching us that what we say directly before the message we want to deliver can directly influence how others will react to our message. It also has a section on how false confessions are provoked by some police interrogations. He also advises on how to best deal with a police interrogation so that you can be cooperative but not put yourself in a compromised position. For instance, he gives information that if you are being videotaped, it is wise to make sure the interviewer and the interviewed person have the same view on the tape such as from the side. If the video is directly on the person's face but not on the interviewer, someone looking at the video at a later date would tend to not get an impartial view of the interview. He gives an example of seeing a couple having a discussion where he was on one side of a restaurant where he could watch the couple interact while watching the male's face. Seeing only the male's face while listening to the discussion he felt the male was dominating the conversation. A short time later he realised that on the other side of the couple was another psychologist he knew who was watching the same couple but seeing only the female's face. The other psychologist had the opposite interpretation of the conversation thinking that the female in a submissive type of way controlled the result and was more dominant. Very interesting!
    Hans Boehnke
    Report
  • BrunoBertolo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Power of influence
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Great work! Amazing for nowadays' scenario.
    Report
  • Alessandro
    5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and worthy reading on communication and behavioral economics
    Reviewed in Italy on August 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Pros:
    • teaches how liable we are when we make decisions (and how to avoid it)
    • well written, fluid and easy to understand
    • useful

    Cons:
    • rapid, almost interrupted closing / ending chapters
    • short

    Recommended for:
    • anyone interested in communication techniques
    • people in marketing, higher education, management, entrepreneurship
    Report
  • Uf
    5.0 out of 5 stars A worth reading classic
    Reviewed in Spain on April 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The earliest in your life you read this book, the most benefit it will provide you. Read it and notice how these tricks influence your life in a conscious or unconscious way.
    Report
  • Nila
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful lecture
    Reviewed in Germany on December 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I would say this book was on my wishlist for a very Long Time and finally i got it
    Report