The best filmmakers are influencers. They direct your attention using words, sounds, and images, and, within seconds, they’ve got you seeing the world through their eyes.  

But you don’t have to be a filmmaker to influence someone’s behavior.

Whether you’re managing a team or leading an organization, you have access to influence. It’s in the way you frame a conversation. How you negotiate. When you ask.

The most influential people spend time planning and practicing these skills in advance. They recognize that these are tools they can learn to use.

Yale Professor Zoe Chance understands how influence works, and she knows how to teach it. Her book, Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen, is filled with stories, tips, and exercises that take the mystery out of influence.

That’s what I loved the most about the book. That influence is far from mysterious. Instead, it’s a skill we can develop to create value for ourselves and others.

Episode Links

Learning the Language of Influence and Persuasion

The Principle of Commitment and Behavioral Consistency

Mastering Influence and Persuasion course at Yale

The Door-in-the-Face Technique (procedure for inducing compliance)

Pronoun Use Reflects Standings in Social Hierarchies

Darren Brown and The Push and The Apocalypse

Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast with Matt Abrahams

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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