When I teach negotiation, I pull out the Six Principles of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini (a professor and sociologist) and we discuss two things: the students’ own experience with being persuaded (or not) and how they might use these principles in negotiations and at work, in general.

Here are the big six:

· Reciprocity

· Scarcity

· Authority

· Consistency

· Consensus

· Liking (people)

Let me explain each one and how they may be used “against” you to be persuaded and even (gasp) manipulated.

Avoid awfulizing, us vs. them, and scarcity mindset thinking when making decisions to be successful.

When we make good choices, we want to be aware of our biases and think more clearly. Here are ideas to make better decisions:

Our biases can damage our decision-making process and even endanger our plans, projects and companies