Ebrahim AlhamedFrameworks Library

m.10 · II · Influence & Lead · Power & Influence

Cialdini's 6 & the Two Routes

Cialdini · six repeatable levers of persuasion. Don't be evil.

The core idea

Power and influence are not the same as authority. Influence runs along two routes — central (the quality of your argument) and peripheral (the cues around it). Cialdini named six peripheral levers that are so reliable they work on you even when you know them. The leader's job is to use them for genuine ends and to recognise when they are being used against you. — after Cialdini · Petty & Cacioppo

The hero diagram

The six principles.

Six corners of a hexagon. One lever at each.

Hexagon diagram Six-vertex hexagon centred on Cialdini 6 with vertices: Reciprocity, Commitment, Social Proof, Liking, Scarcity, Authority. Cialdini 6 principles of influence Reciprocity Commitment Social Proof Liking Scarcity Authority

Frameworks in this module

Named ideas to remember.

Two Routes to Persuasion · Petty & Cacioppo
Central — content, logic, evidence · Peripheral — cues, source, format
Under time-pressure people default to peripheral. Design your messaging for the route the receiver is actually on.
Cialdini's 6 Principles · Cialdini
Reciprocity · Commitment & consistency · Social proof · Liking · Scarcity · Authority
They stack. Using two is often more than twice as powerful as one.
Door-in-the-Face / Foot-in-the-Door · Cialdini (1975) · Freedman & Fraser (1966)
DITF: big-then-small (Cialdini) · FITD: small-then-big (Freedman & Fraser)
Two opposite mechanics. Both exploit commitment and consistency.

How to apply

Next time you need to change someone's mind.

  1. Decide the route. If they have time and motivation, central. Otherwise peripheral.
  2. Pick two of the six levers. Not all six. That reads manipulative. Two — chosen for genuine fit.
  3. Check the ethics line. "Would I be comfortable if they learned I was using this?" is the only question that matters.
  4. Watch for it being used on you. Scarcity pressure, unearned authority, reciprocity traps — the same six arrive in your inbox every day.

Key reading · Influence · Cialdini

The psychology of persuasion.

Cialdini's 30 years of field research distilled into six principles you will recognise in every sales pitch, political campaign and performance review you have ever sat through — including the ones you ran.

Use the levers. Don't become the lever.

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