Dear readers,

I’ve recommended many books but this one is among the best I’ve found, “Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive” (Free Press, 2008). Just published, try to read it before everyone else does.

Yes! Is chock full of useful advice tested by leading researchers. Some of it is counter-intuitive and most was previously found only in academic journals. Robert Cialdini, professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University, is one of three authors.

Since most of their research and the other studies they cite have been government-funded, Cialdini says this book is a chance to give “everyday individuals some access to what science has told them with their money.” It’s an opportunity you should grab.

Among the highlights:

Put Forth the Positive Spin, Not the Negative

Researchers found that it is far more persuasive to tell people about all the other people who have taken the positive steps you want them to take, rather than to tell them about all the others who have failed. Example: To curb littering, tell people about the responsible millions who toss their trash in the nearest can rather than the lazy throngs who throw their garbage on the ground. The Petrified Forest study, which is detailed in the book, “shows that people have a natural tendency to do what most other people are doing, even when that behavior is socially undesirable.”

Sticky Notes Stick

The chapter titled “Which office item can make your influence stick?” reveals that attaching a Post-It Note with a handwritten message to a request for action, such as filling out a survey, makes it more likely the request will be honored. The response rate for a survey with a sticky handwritten note attached was 69 percent vs. 43 percent for surveys with a blank sticky note, and only 34 percent for surveys with no sticky note. These results point to our natural tendency to want to reciprocate the kindness and effort of others. “Garner [the researcher cited] suggests that people recognize the extra effort and personal touch that this requires, and that they feel the need to reciprocate this personal touch by agreeing to the request,” the authors write.

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You

The Golden Rule works better as it was written than the way most people revise it in their heads, says Cialdini: Do unto others as they have done to you. “We tend to think about the world in terms of transactions. If you do that for us, we’ll do that for you. But then you have the sequence wrong,” he says. “What do you want in the workplace? A positive attitude? You have to display it first. A fast turnaround in information?” If you’re fast, “it should flow back to you.”

What happens if you take the first step numerous times and your generosity is never returned? Cialdini suggests first trying to educate those who don’t reciprocate by saying something like, “I’m glad to cover your shift because I know how important it is to me to know that you will help me out when I need it.” If explaining the social contract repeatedly does not work, “Cut them off,” he says.

For true revenge, don’t breath a word about this fascinating new book.