People want to believe they are good at making their own decisions. From what they buy to who they vote for. It's easy to see other people being influenced, but we have difficulty seeing it in ourselves.
We tend to hold a curmudgeonly attitude when it comes to being influenced or manipulated. And yet, everyone wants more influence. We hear a lot of people talking about how to become an influencer, and how to engage with influencers.
It's seems like the “Age of the Influencer.”
Our guest this week on The Portfolio Life, has a counterintuitive approach to what actually influences us, and how to use it to our advantage.
Listen in as Jonah Berger, a Wharton professor and bestselling author, and I talk about why it's easier to observe other people being influenced, why doing the opposite is still being influenced, and why writing down your goal improves your performance.
Listen to the podcast
To listen to the show, click the player below (If you’re reading this via email, please click here).
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Show highlights
In this episode, Jonah and I discuss:
- Unpacking the concept of social influence
- How we are passively influenced by observing others
- The sweet spot of optimal distinctiveness
- How to positively influence others and be more positively influenced
- Trying to avoid influence during the creative process
- The danger of creating in a vacuum
- How to write something accessible, but a little bit different
- Illustrating complicated concepts in a way that's accessible to your readers
- A simple trick to improve rapport and get better tips
- Finding motivation to write
- Appealing to peer pressure and social comparisons
- The hidden value of a “designated dissenter”
Quotes and takeaways
- Recognize influence in the world around you to live a happier, healthier life.
- Use the tools of influence to be more influential yourself.
- Optimal distinctiveness communicates added value that people can relate to.
- Answer the question: What's an interesting way to tell a familiar story?
- “When someone is like us, we feel like we're part of the same tribe.” –Jonah Berger
[share-quote author=”Jonah Berger” via=”JeffGoins”]To have influence, we first have to be able to recognize influence.
Resources
- Jonah's blog and Twitter
- Invisible Influence by Jonah Berger
- Contagious by Jonah Berger
- Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- Powers of Two by Joshua Wolf Shenk
- The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
When was the last time you noticed being influenced? Who are you trying to influence? Share in the comments.
