Influence Anyone

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Welcome to this new chapter of the podcast! In this special 50th episode, host Howie Chan interviews “The Godfather of Influence” himself, Dr. Robert Cialdini. He is  the globally renowned psychologist behind "Influence", the book that sold over 5 million copies worldwide,  and the man who made persuasion a science.

They delve into the process of influence, Dr. Cialdini's groundbreaking findings, and what it takes to get people to say yes, even before you present the offer.

Dr. Cialdini provides insights into his research and learning journey. He shares stories that led to his breakthroughs and others that changed everything. You'll learn how to influence and persuade yourself and others ethically and effectively.

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans?

Sign up for Behavioring Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

Episode Breakdown:

02:22 Dr. Cialdini's shocking and humbling history with Charlie Munger

07:04 The surprising discovery that got Dr. Cialdini started on "Influence"

11:50 Why Dr. Cialdini went undercover and what influenced his research

16:33 Focusing on unchanging human truths and “Small Bigs”

19:29 The backstory behind the 7th and newest principle, Unity

24:00 What happens to phony and manipulative brands

27:21 The power of pre-suasion and how Dr. Cialdini came up with the concept

35:00 How to use pre-suasion to maximize results

40:07 "Post-suasion": what comes after successful persuasion

46:05 Influencing yourself for habit creation and lasting change

48:00 One single sentence that can ready people for the change you want

52:20 No social proof? How to use future social proof in your business

55:50 The difference between ethical and unethical influence

1:00:30 Debunking a myth about influence that refuses to die

1:06:28 A letter to Dr. Robert Cialdini’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Youtube

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Facebook

Find all of Dr. Cialdini's groundbreaking books here.

Get people to buy into your ideas and offers!

Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven strategy from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.

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Don't want to miss the unveiling of the new chapter with the show? Make sure to subscribe to the podcast and be the first to listen to episode 50, with none other than the Godfather of Influence himself.

In preparation for our very special guest in episode 50, today, host Howie is hitting replay on his interview with Steve Martin, an expert on influence and persuasion and the CEO of Influence At Work.

They delve into how the answer isn’t always more data, what it actually takes to ethically persuade someone, and the power of story to bring someone to your side. The discussion emphasizes that having a compelling case is not enough to influence and persuade people.

Steve dropped one of the most underrated gems of the show in this episode, so it's worth listening to again. He breaks down what it takes to truly influence and persuade someone with the three-part influence equation + the biggest mistakes people make when trying to persuade others–and how to avoid them.

Episode Breakdown:

04:12 How Steve ended up in the world of persuasion and influence

07:09 What most don’t know about Cialdini’s revolutionary book, Influence

10:54 Having a compelling case is actually not enough

18:34 How to be an influential individual or brand–not just now but in the long run

21:54 The influence equation: how it came to be and what it’s all about

27:20 Applying the influence equation with real-life examples

31:34 How context affects influence and persuasion

34:47 The essential role of story in successful influence

36:58 The 2 biggest mistakes that keep you from the outcome you want

45:41 The messenger traits that make people listen

51:41 The one skill that’s always in high demand–even in the age of AI

59:43 How to guarantee the best results

1:07:09 A letter to Steve Martin’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Find all his books here.

Check out Steve Martin’s course for The Economist, Influence and persuasion in business.

Catch up with my interview with Will Storr in episode 17 of the podcast.

It’s time to turn up the volume on life, make your mark, and live your legend. 🤘🏽

Join Legend Letters: The free newsletter helping thousands of business owners influence human behavior (and look like a legend) using brand psychology.

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How Can I help you?

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans?

Sign up for Behavior Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan delves into storytelling for business. But he isn't just telling you to tell your story; he's also teaching you how to do it successfully. The discussion emphasizes that stories don't have to be epic or crazy to be powerful. They just need to be from you.

Howie breaks down the brain chemistry behind great storytelling, walks you through the five factory settings of your audience's mind, and provides you with a framework that will shift how you write and share stories from now on.

Episode Breakdown:

01:37 When Howie's introduction fell flat at a  networking event

02:32 The five factory settings of the brain

03:41 The four-part story framework

04:45 What Howie should have said at the event instead

07:00 The power of telling a personal story

08:47 Start standing out and becoming unforgettable today 

From Me:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Catch up with my interview with Karen Eber to learn more about the five factory settings of the brain.

Legendary Quotes:

“ It wasn't because I was boring, it's because I wasn't telling a story. Me, the person, is interesting. I know that. But I was almost reciting a headline or a resume or something, it's very robotic.” – Howie Chan

“ You don't have to say, 'Oh, Howie, I don't have any stories.' Take any facet, anything that you want to say, and put it in that [four-part framework], and you have a story.” – Howie Chan

“ Instead of telling them a cookie-cutter, one-line about who you are or what you do, you tell them a story that can connect. And they don't have to be epic or crazy to be powerful. Often, the best stories are personal. They're small, but they just need to be from you.” – Howie Chan

It’s time to turn up the volume on life, make your mark, and live your legend. 🤘🏽

Join Legend Letters: The free newsletter helping thousands of business owners influence human behavior (and look like a legend) using brand psychology.

Follow, subscribe, and don’t forget to leave a rating and review!

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In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews William Hanson, a leading authority on etiquette and influence who advises royalty, banks, and global brands.

They explore how manners, often seen as outdated, help us connect across cultures, lead with influence, and simply be kind.

William explains the difference between manners and etiquette and shares practical tips to show up with confidence, clarity, and connection in any setting.

Episode Breakdown:

02:41 How William handles others' opinions about his agitating content

06:39 The difference between manners and etiquette

08:29 When to break the rules of etiquette

10:24 The role of etiquette rules for community and belonging

12:32 The consequences of a world where everyone is insecure

13:58 Making etiquette more accessible and William's book cover controversy

18:32 How manners and etiquette rules help and why they matter

25:17 Navigating an etiquette mishap

27:47 Two powerful habits that we could all benefit from having

32:12 What it takes to leave a good first impression

36:07 How to give a good handshake and get out of an awkward one

39:47 The importance of leading by example

41:04 How to approach etiquette rules in a different culture

42:45 Keeping up with the changes in social etiquette

46:43 Breaks in etiquette that drive William mad

49:07 William's viral, controversial How To Eat videos

54:02 How to be more influential as a leader and as a new neighbor

58:01 The power of humor and not taking yourself too seriously

1:01:04 One etiquette rule on its way out and what should remain

1:03:46 A letter to William Hanson’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

YouTube

Get the book, Just Good Manners.

Podcasts, Help I Sexted My Boss and The Luxury Podcast.

The cringe comments video that Howie shows William at the start.

How To Eat videos: Banana, Rice, and Peas.

Catch up with my episode with 6x USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis to learn how to remember names.

It’s time to turn up the volume on life, make your mark, and live your legend. 🤘🏽

Join Legend Letters: The free newsletter helping thousands of business owners influence human behavior (and look like a legend) using brand psychology.

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How Can I help you?

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans?

Sign up for Behavior Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Ed Tate, the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking and the go-to coach for corporations, entrepreneurs, and leaders who need to win  hearts and minds in high-stakes moments.

Ed provides the tools to help you create a memorable opening, the steps to rejection-proof your pitch, his recipe for developing a great story, his process for engineering engaging presentations, and how to end your presentation on a high note.

The discussion emphasizes that public speaking and presentation skills aren't just a nice-to-have. These are essential life skills that everyone with a job should master.

Episode Breakdown:

03:59 Ed's 7 seconds of terror and how he turned it all around

08:54 How Ed's stutter led him to his public speaking career

13:00 The road to winning the 2000 World Championship of Public Speaking

19:12 The enemy of a good presentation

22:46 The elements of a memorable opening experience

27:39 Presentation skills: The power of a relevant story

29:22 Steps to rejection-proof your pitch

37:31 Ed's recipe for developing a great story and his secret sauce

45:38 How Ed engineers his powerful presentations

57:26 Ed's recommendations for those looking to become public speakers

1:06:57 Ed's take on AI's impact on the industry of public speaking

1:09:04 A letter to Ed Tate’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Youtube

X

Check out the best place in the world to build your confidence, Toastmasters.

Watch Ed's winning speech of the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking, One of Those Days.

Get Robert Cialdini's book, Influence.

Get started with speaking! Learn more about the National Speakers Association.

Legendary Quotes:

“ I will never ask an audience to put down their cell phones or their devices or close their laptops because it is my job to be more interesting than any screen. And if I'm not more interesting than any screen, I shouldn't be in this business.” – Ed Tate

“When I began, I emulated certain speakers that I liked. But I started making serious money when Ed showed up on stage as opposed to me being a cheap version of somebody else.” – Ed Tate

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How Can I help you?

Want 75 hacks to become more charismatic?

Get your FREE copy of my Charisma Tactical Toolkit.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Mita Mallick,  a powerhouse executive, a LinkedIn Top Voice, a trusted advisor to some of the biggest brands on the planet, and a best-selling author and speaker. They delve into  what makes a boss bad, and how we can flip the script so that bad behavior becomes a blueprint for better leadership.

The discussion emphasizes that everyone can be a bad boss at some point, but that doesn't mean we have to stay bad. Mita shares practical strategies and tools for us to catch our bad boss moments and come back into being good leaders. She also offers brilliant advice for employees to navigate working for bad bosses.

Episode Breakdown:

04:38 The biggest retention tool we have is currently under attack

07:40 Mita's biggest bad boss moments and the transition into the boss role

11:09 Three factors that make us fall into bad boss behaviors

13:20 Strategies to build self-awareness and become a better boss

16:14 A simple approach to build trust with your team that won't backfire

20:01 Medusa: the baddest of Mita's bad bosses

23:47 The 5Ds of bystander intervention to become a better colleague

29:03 Why people don't intervene in a toxic workplace

34:16 Self-work foundations for good leadership

39:39 The pregnancy penalty and intent versus impact

45:59 Three truths of human behavior that Mita discovered

49:40 Brilliant advice and tools for working better with your boss

53:48 Two messages Mita would leave for every boss

54:47 A letter to Mita Mallick’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Pre-order the book, The Devil Emails at Midnight, out September 30, 2025.

Learn more about the 5Ds of Bystander Intervention at Right To Be.

Legendary Quotes:

“ Have you noticed the engagement on your team shifting and changing? And how many of us have the courage to look in the mirror and say, 'Do I have something to do with that?' Or am I gonna blame everything else?” – Mita Mallick

“ I know there's still Medusas out there in the workplace. I know people still behave this way, and just because you are getting a paycheck every two weeks doesn't give you permission to disrespect or humiliate or devalue people.” – Mita Mallick

“ I hope that we have more courage and humility in the workplace. That's what I think we're in desperate shortage of right now.” – Mita Mallick

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How Can I help you?

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans?

Sign up for Behavior Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan delves into  one of the most powerful and most overlooked human truths: ease. The discussion emphasizes that, ultimately, humans are lazy and will always choose the easiest option over the best one.

Howie shares the reason why our brains are wired to take the path of least resistance and provides  real-world examples of how ease can make or break success, and concrete tactics for applying this truth,  whether you're leading a team or trying to get more people to buy your product.

Episode Breakdown:

02:30 How US companies got employees to sign up for the 401(k)

03:40 The two systems that drive the way we think and choose

05:14 The Fogg Behavior Model and why motivation isn't enough

06:36 Three real-world examples of how ease changes everything

07:52 How brands actually grow (it's not loyalty programs)

10:40 Three tactics for leaders to make work easy to do

12:20 Three tactics  for marketers and business owners  to make buying easy

14:49 This hidden driver of human behavior

From Me:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Read the world-famous psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking, Fast and Slow.

Learn more about the Fogg Behavior Model by Stanford researcher Dr. BJ Fogg.

Get one of the most evidence-based marketing books ever written, How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp.

Discover more about Barry Schwartz's Paradox of Choice in his 2005 TED Talk.

Legendary Quotes:

“ When you see failed marketing campaigns or you see maybe offers are not converting, they all have one thing in common: it was too much work for the person on the other end.” – Howie Chan

“ If you want people to take action, whether that's your team following through or your customers buying, don't just try to increase motivation. You have to make it easier.” – Howie Chan

“ Ease isn't a nice-to-have. It is a hidden driver of human behavior. People don't always pick the best product. People don't always follow the smartest leader.  They pick the easiest path.” – Howie Chan

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How Can I help you?

Start conversations with a single unforgettable line that wins hearts and opens wallets.

Get the Legendary One-Liner playbook and make your message legendary.

In this episode, Howie interviews Ron Tite,  an award-winning creative, founder of the Church+State Agency, and the  mind behind campaigns for brands like Google, Walmart, and Microsoft. 

Ron delivers a true masterclass on the purpose of purpose and alignment, both personal and organizational, and how to get your message across in a relatable and engaging way. The discussion emphasizes that people used to vote with their wallets, and now they vote with their time. So, to influence others, our message must be worth their time.

Ron provides us with how to craft a purpose for a company and for yourself, the right way, along with his "Think. Say. Do." framework. He shares the ins and outs of how he structures all his speeches and how to apply comedy to them. Lastly, he flips advertising on its head.

Episode Breakdown:

06:54 Understand what purpose is and how brands have gotten it wrong

09:50 The parallel between personal purpose and the organization's purpose

13:04 How purpose can lead a profit-driven company towards growth

16:49 The different business model of purpose-driven companies

20:30 How to get the purpose right within the company

23:49 What you need to craft an organizational purpose that actually gets buy-in

30:59 The big flip in advertising from promise to confirmation

36:26 You don't have to save the world, focus on what you care about

38:15 The power of starting with comedy

42:41 The warm open technique that silences the room

48:08 How Ron did it and your permission to fake it as you go

51:45 The process of comedy and how you can apply it

56:43 How Ron structures and customizes his speeches

59:21 The key ingredients of a successful and relatable speech

1:05:54 We don't need a great big meaningful story to deliver value

1:08:10 One simple exercise to help you  better influence behavior

1:10:00 A letter to Ron Tite’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Youtube

Get the books, Think. Do. Say. and The Purpose of Purpose.

Listen to the podcast, The Coup.

Read the Mark Ritson article on the purpose and profit paradox.

Listen to my interview with David Aaker about his book The Future of Purpose-Driven Branding.

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How Can I help you?

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans?

Sign up for Behavior Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Rob Volpe, the empathy activist. He is the Founder and Chairman of Ignite 360, an award-winning, best-selling author, and he empowers people to build empathy and be better at the work they do and the people they are.

They delve deep into empathy, what it is and isn't, why it's so critical in our personal and work life, and how to develop it so it too can be your superpower. The discussion emphasizes that empathy is not just a "nice to have," in fact, its absence is actually the reason companies lose millions and millions of dollars every year.

Rob walks us through the 5 Steps to Empathy that can help you dissolve any conflict and come out on the other side more connected, more powerful, and more effective. He also shares a simple but profound technique called the Curious Breath, which is a quick reset that takes you from reactive to thoughtful, from spiraling to strategic.

Episode Breakdown:

03:33 A miracle of life, Judy Garland, and a lot of empathy

08:08 Listen to your intuition to connect with others

10:32 The development of empathy and a real-life example

15:05 Why empathy is so critical in all facets of life

18:31 Fusing the head and the heart to connect and build empathy 

21:45 The current empathy crisis in a polarized, angry society

24:31 Empaths: when empathy can quickly become too much

28:18 Go from reacting to responding with a curious breath

32:52 The 5 Steps to Empathy

35:06 How to dismantle judgment so it stops getting in your way

43:56 Choosing to ask questions differently and ditching "Why?"

48:59 What active listening looks like and some exercises to help

55:40 Play the ice cream game and integrate different points of view

1:02:45 Put yourself in the other person's shoes to imagine solutions 

1:04:07 How people rallied around Rob after a recent injury

1:07:01 What to do today to start your empathy journey

1:07:42 A letter to Rob Volpe’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

TikTok

Instagram

Get the book, Tell Me More About That.

You can find more content about Rob's cats – Domino, Barnabas, and Solitaire – here.

Check out the Empathy Circle.

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How Can I help you?

Want to go from unknown to unforgettable in 44 simple steps?

Check out my Personal Brand Checklist.

In this episode of the Legend Effect Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Lisa Bragg, a strategic visibility expert, a former broadcast journalist turned entrepreneur, and author of Bragging Rights. They delve into how great work won't speak for itself and how self-advocacy is the superpower that will allow you to be seen, to influence, lead, and create lasting impact.

The discussion emphasizes that if you're not bragging or self-promoting, you're getting left behind. Lisa provides us with your roadmap out of hiding. She shares easy first steps and strategies to start bragging the right way, the pitfalls to avoid on your path to standing out, and gives you the push you need to start advocating for yourself today.

Episode Breakdown:

03:26 The value of sparkle and showing up with shine, shimmer, and bravery

08:21 The evolution of the word brag into something negative

10:10 The biggest lie we've been told about bragging

10:55 What makes bragging either icky or not

15:04 When bragging goes wrong

17:33 Easy first steps to start bragging the right way

22:08 Lisa guides Howie through reaching potential podcasting guests

27:43 Self-promotion, effectively reaching out cold, and opening doors

33:42 The importance of amplifying what you're doing again and again

38:22 Overcoming internal barriers to bragging

39:58 Why your work won't speak for itself

43:48 The risks and rewards of standing out

46:05 Don't humble brag, do this instead

49:21 The power of sharing the story behind everything

52:16 Stop holding back, start advocating for yourself today

56:06 How to avoid over-bragging

57:42 Always think of your audience and don't make things up

1:02:34 Find the shortcut to your future through self-advocacy

1:07:08 A letter to Lisa Bragg’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Get the book, Bragging Rights.

Catch up with my interview with Fotini Iconomopoulos.

Legendary Quotes:

“ It's not a Me, Me, Me journey when we are doing bragging and self-promoting. It's really how do I make sure that people know where I am of service and then how do I bring other people along the way.” – Lisa Bragg

“ You don't have to constantly start something brand new all the time. We don't have to have a million ideas. We can just even have one really solid idea. And be known for that over and over again. That'll give you influence.” – Lisa Bragg

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