In his book, Influence: Science and Practice (Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 4th ed. 2001), Robert Cialdini lists six weapons of influence. One of them is “social proof,” which, … states that we determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct. The principle applies especially to [Read More]
Teaching the art and science of mediation brings to my consciousness a lot of pointers that otherwise reside in my subconscious. Two of them are the fine art of persuasion and the tool of persistence. The textbook used in class (Frenkel, Douglas N. and Stark, James H. The Practice of [Read More]
On June 29, 2021, Harvard's PONS posted a blog written by staff entitled, "Negotiators: Resist Vividness Bias in Negotiations." It defined vividness bias as "…the tendency to overweight the vivid and prestigious attributes of a decision, such as a salary or an employer's status, and underweight less impressive issues, such [Read More]
One of the major tools in a mediator's toolbox is "persuasion." Either through training, experience and/or intuition, a mediator learns tactics that can be used to "persuade" a party to compromise and settle a dispute. My friend and colleague, Maria Simpson Ph.D., defines "persuasion" as ". . .helping people agree [Read More]
