It will have happened before you spoke a word.
So, the next time you need to persuade someone, resist the urge to dive into your argument. Pause. Look at the environment. Ask a guiding question. Create the lens. Because by the time you actually ask for what you want, the most important part of the conversation will already be over. Pre-Suasion- A Revolutionary Way to Influence a...
In the classic Western film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly , there is a scene that perfectly captures a flaw in how we think about influence. The protagonist, "Blondie" (Clint Eastwood), walks into a small town. He approaches a general store, and before asking for directions or information, he pulls out his revolver and shoots a rope holding a large sign. The sign crashes to the ground. Only then does he ask the store owner his questions. It will have happened before you spoke a word
People pay attention to anything that relates to them. A simple phrase like "Because you are a unique customer..." or "People like you..." triggers the listener to lean in. When you pre-suade someone by connecting your request to their identity, you lower their defenses. They are no longer judging you; they are judging themselves against their own standards. Look at the environment
Why the theatrical destruction? Because Blondie understood a principle that most of us overlook:
The question "Are you helpful?" didn't contain the request. It contained the pre-suasion . It shifted the homeowner’s self-image from "random citizen" to "helper." When the request came, it didn't feel like a transaction; it felt like an obligation to their newly activated identity. Cialdini identifies three primary "attentional magnets" that can be used to pre-suade an audience: